CDC: Maine 2020 opioid prescription rate top in New England

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine had the highest opioid prescription rate in New England in 2020 even though overall prescriptions of opioids in the state have decreased over the last decade, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The state’s opioid prescription rate has dropped lower than the national rate since 2017, due to laws restricting access to opioids, but Maine still has a relatively high rate for New England, The Bangor Daily News reported Monday.

In 2020, Maine health care providers wrote 40.3 opioid prescriptions for every 100 residents, compared to the lowest rate in New England of 33.3 prescriptions per 100 residents in Massachusetts.

The overall prescription rate in the U.S. was 43.3 prescriptions per 100 people, the CDC said.

Last week, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said that the state had reached a $130 million settlement with the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson for its role in the nationwide opioid crisis.

Native American tribes also reached a landmark $590 million settlement with the company.