In the looking-glass world of statistics, it’s possible to view the news that Maine leads the nation in the rate of people seeking treatment for prescription drug abuse as a good thing.

If they are in treatment, the argument goes, it means they have a chance to break their addictions and stop abusing medications.

But no matter how you interpret the numbers, this is not good news.

Maine has a huge problem with prescription drug abuse, and one that continues to be a challenge to public health and safety more than a decade after it first surfaced.

The problem is that ever since medical studies found that American physicians were under-treating pain, powerful painkillers have been diverted to people other than those who need them.

The results range from petty crime that addicts use to feed their habit to overdose deaths, which take as many lives as highway crashes.

While there is obvious benefit to trying to control demand for drugs through treatment and education, there is also more to be done to reduce the supply.

Maine has high rates of painkiller addiction not because Mainers are more susceptible but because there is more access to these drugs here.

Doctors and pharmacists have been better about taking steps to make sure that the right people — and only the right people —  walk out of drugstores with pain medication, but the numbers show that more needs to be done.

Making prescription drugs more scarce on the street will prevent people from ruining their lives with addiction. It’s a big job, and not just one for the police.

 

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