Comment on Spike in drug deaths driving funding request for medical examiner’s office

The Maine Attorney General’s Office is looking for an increase in the budget for the state Medical Examiner’s Office, driven mainly by a sharp spike in drug overdose deaths. Attorney General Janet Mills, whose office oversees the medical examiner’s office, said drug-related deaths are more expensive for the medical examiner to handle, usually because the toxicology reports used to determine what drug caused a death are much more complex and time-consuming. Her office is seeking a budget increase of $230,000 for the medical examiner’s office. The request comes as the number of drug-related deaths in Maine in 2016 hit a record high of 378, up from 272 in 2015.