Sorg cited in news stories about record overdose deaths in 2021

Maine Public, the Portland Press Herald and WMTW (Channel 8 in Portland) cited Marcella Sorg, a forensic anthropologist and a University of Maine research professor at the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, in stories about the record number of overdose deaths in Maine in 2021. According to Maine Public, Sorg, who directs the center’s Rural Drug & Alcohol Research Program and compiles overdose data for the state, “estimated on Tuesday that 636 people died of drug overdoses in 2021, although she told state lawmakers that the figure is an estimate because of a slow-down in lab processing.” The Bangor Daily News and WGME (Channel 13 in Portland) shared the Maine Public story. The Associated Press shared the Press Herald story. U.S. News & World Report, the New Canaan Advertiser, The Titusville Herald, the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate shared the AP report.