PORTLAND – Maine ranks high in the use of prescription painkillers, which officials say helps explain the growing abuse of prescription drugs.

Maine ranks fourth in the nation in per capita methadone consumption, and seventh in consumption of oxycodone, the active ingredient in OxyContin, according to Drug Enforcement Administration statistics for 2002, the latest year available.

The state ranked first in per capita consumption of fentanyl, a synthetic opiate often prescribed to cancer patients. The numbers are compiled from manufacturers and distributors.

While the state did not rank at or near the top for all painkillers, the data highlight a trend of high painkiller consumption since at least 1998. Health professionals say the pervasiveness of painkillers makes them a target for abuse.

“It’s like with any drug of addiction, availability is a key factor in what people will use,” said Kim Johnson, director of Maine’s Office of Substance Abuse and Treatment.

The high use of painkillers in Maine isn’t a surprise.

Maine has the nation’s third-highest median age, behind Florida and West Virginia. As people age, they are more likely to have chronic pain and illnesses that require pain medication.

Additionally, traditional industries such as papermaking, forestry and fishing have a high risk of injury and chronic pain for which painkillers are often prescribed.

The number of people admitted to substance abuse treatment programs in Maine for opiates besides heroin, primarily prescription painkillers, increased 80 percent from 571 to 1,030 between 2000 and 2002, according to state figures.

More people are seeking treatment for addiction to prescription medication than to heroin.

Nationally, prescription drugs have eclipsed cocaine as the second most-abused drug after marijuana, not including alcohol, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Starting in June, an electronic database will track prescriptions for a wide variety of drugs in Maine to make sure patients are not visiting multiple doctors for the same symptoms and doctors are not overprescribing pain medication.

The technique is used by 21 other states, some with great success. Maine doctors already use tamper-resistant prescription pads.

Doctors must balance their concern about relieving patients’ pain with their fear that drugs are being diverted for abuse.

Dr. David Simmons, former president of the Maine Medical Association and a family practice doctor in Calais, said some doctors feel caught in the middle.

“It’s a very tough line for many physicians to walk and they’re feeling embattled from both sides and not feeling comfortable they can make the distinction between chronic pain and a patient that may be manipulating them for diversion,” he said.