POLLY IRUNGU
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Lt. Governor Aruna Miller led the second annual Overdose Prevention Advocacy Day rally in Annapolis on Feb. 10 alongside Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response and community partners, calling attention to the ongoing overdose crisis and the measurable progress Maryland is making to save lives.
A recent report from the Maryland Overdose Response Advisory Council, chaired by Lt. Governor Miller, shows fatal overdoses dropped by almost 26 percent from 2024 to 2025. This follows a 37 percent decline from 2023 to 2024. The number of fatal overdoses in 2025 is less than half of the state’s peak in 2021, a significant and sustained decline that reflects Maryland’s evidence-based approach detailed in the state’s Overdose Response Strategy.
“Behind every number is a life, a family, a community, and a future that we must fight for,” said Lt. Governor Miller. “Maryland is proving that when we engage with those closest to the problem, we find solutions that work. We are turning the tide, but our work is not done until every Marylander has an accessible road to recovery.”
Since taking office in 2023, the Moore-Miller administration has expanded its investments to address the overdose crisis, allocating more than $56 million in opioid settlement funds to support critical initiatives. These investments expand access to medications for opioid use disorder, strengthen the behavioral health workforce in rural areas, support youth prevention efforts, fund low-barrier services that meet people where they are, and expand recovery support services. The administration is also building a public dashboard to provide transparency in opioid settlement spending at the state and local level.
Maryland has expanded access to the overdose reversal medication, naloxone, with over 440,000 doses distributed at the community level in 2025. The administration has also prioritized outreach to disproportionately impacted communities, establishing a Citizen Advisory Workgroup to ensure individuals with lived experience and their families help shape future policy.
In 2023, Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order establishing Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response, which operates under the leadership of the lieutenant governor and works to promote collaboration across all state and local agencies working to address substance use disorder and overdose in the state. Lt. Governor Miller also chairs theMaryland Overdose Response Advisory Council, which includes participation from 18 state offices and agencies and works to guide the state’s efforts to respond to the overdose crisis.
“Whether you’re from Baltimore City, the Appalachian Mountains in Western Maryland, or our beautiful Eastern Shore, everyone knows someone who has been touched by the overdose crisis,” said Special Secretary of Overdose Response Emily Keller. “And that means it’s going to take all of us working together, regardless of our party or politics, to keep making an impact. We owe it to our communities to keep fighting.”
Overdose Prevention Advocacy Day brought together health care providers, faith leaders, advocates, lawmakers, and Marylanders with lived experience to share stories, elevate solutions, and urge continued action to sustain progress and close remaining gaps.
