The Portland Police Department say they grappling with an “alarming” surge in drug overdoses, reporting very recent eight cases in a less than 24 hour period, two of which were fatal.
The department issued a press release Friday afternoon stating they have seen a recent increase in drug overdoses.
According to police, the city has seen 129 overdoses in 2025 so far, with six fatalities.
During the same time period last year, the city saw 167 overdoses and six fatalities. Relative to overall instances, the lethality has increased in a year-to-year comparison.
Portland Police and the city’s Public Health Department urged residents to be aware that Narcan (Naloxone) is available at pharmacies without a prescription, and that the city provides free Narcan and overdose recognition training.
“If you encounter an overdose, please call 911 and stay with the person until first responders arrive,” Portland Police said Friday. “If you are trained, and feel comfortable administering CPR or Naloxone, please know that Maine’s Good Samaritan law protects both the caller and the victim.”
In October, the Portland City Council voted to allocate roughly $1.38 million in opioid settlement funds towards three different public health initiatives related to the opioid crisis: a syringe “buyback” program, the creation of a “low-barrier” daytime homeless shelter and seed funding for an on-peninsula methadone clinic in Portland to treat opioid withdrawal.
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The most recent data on drug overdoses statewide reports that there were a total of 991 overdoses in Maine, as well as 71 fatal overdoses, in January and February of this year –down from 1,371 nonfatal overdoses and 86 fatalities during the same months in 2024.
