by WCBC Radio

Statistics show that 1,089 people in Maryland died from an opiate overdose in 2015, and as the new year rolled around, the epidemic's death toll continued to mount. Final data for 2016 is expected to show that some 2,000 people in Maryland died after overdosing on heroin or other opiates. Opioid overdoses now rank among cancer, strokes and heart attacks as the top killers in Maryland. State health officials say their goal for the next two years is to slow the rate at which the problem is worsening. Gov. Larry Hogan and members of the General Assembly are now scrambling for fresh ideas. Amid a $544 million state budget shortfall, Hogan plans to announce funding Wednesday to fight the heroin epidemic. On Monday, legislators launched a work group to study 25 bills that would address opioid and substance abuse.