WHEREAS, started in 2001 and recognized annually on August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event to remember those who have lost their lives to drug overdoses, to raise awareness of overdoses, to reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and to acknowledge the grief felt by families and friends; and

WHEREAS, in 2024, over 107,000 individuals died in the United States from drug overdoses, including 490 individuals here in Maine; and

WHEREAS, the state of Maine has distributed over 650,000 doses of the life-saving drug Naloxone to date, resulting in more than 11,300 lives saved; and

WHEREAS, there are available in Maine many types of treatment for substance use disorder, as well as robust prevention activities and recovery support programs; and

WHEREAS, stable housing with supportive services and access to well-paying jobs contributes to healthy and productive lives for Maine people affected by substance use; and

WHEREAS, last year Maine recorded its largest decrease in overdose deaths since 2018 as a result of these and other initiatives by the State of Maine and our dedicated partners; and

WHEREAS, every fatal overdose is a tragic loss of a valued life that Maine remains committed to preventing;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim August 31, 2025 as

International Overdose Awareness Day

in Maine, and I and encourage all citizens to take part in activities and observances designed to remember those we have lost, to increase awareness of drug overdoses, and to join the global effort to reduce the death toll associated with drug overdoses.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this twenty ninth day of August Two Thousand Twenty-Five