Total MAID Usage. In 2024, 2626 patients died from ingesting MAID medications. This is an estimate because not all states have yet reported official data for 2024. Montana collects and reports no data. Figures for Maine, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, DC are based on reports from prior years. New Mexico figures are based on data collected by End-of-Life Options New Mexico.
Rate of MAID Usage. There were 3,000,000 total annual U.S. deaths in 2024. Using the estimate of 2626 MAID deaths, we can calculate a rate of MAID deaths. 1 in 1200 U.S. deaths is from MAID. As a percentage, 0.09% of all U.S. deaths are from MAID.
Contrast US with Canada. The rate of deaths from MAID in Canada is 374 per million residents. That is three times the rate of deaths from MAID in New Mexico and forty times the rate in New Jersey. We can also describe MAID deaths relative to total deaths rather than total residents. In 2023, 4.7% of Canadians who died received MAID. In no U.S. state except New Mexico did that rate even reach 1%.
Rates in 2025 Will Be Higher. The rate of MAID deaths in 2025 is probably higher than the estimated 2024 rate (which is partially based on 2023 data). MAID rates generally (though not always) rise over time. And some recent statutory amendments (like Vermont’s elimination of a residency requirement) are not yet reflected in official reporting data.
Massive State to State Variability. The rate of MAID varies significantly from state to state. In New Jersey the rate is only 9 per million population, while the rate in New Mexico is 124 per million.
Legal Differences Account for Only Some Variability. Some state to state variability might be explained by legal differences. For example, MAID in New Mexico is more accessible with both shorter waiting periods and more types of licensed clinicians authorized to provide MAID. But legal differences are only one factor. For example, New Jersey and Maine have similar laws yet different rates. One notable factor is maturity. Usage grows as systems are built, clinicians are trained, and education spreads.
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