The latest figures indicate that Mainers with substance use disorder continue to struggle with the effects of the pandemic, putting 2021 on pace to surpass the record deaths in 2020.
opioid epidemic
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: Criminal justice reforms atop Maine Legislature’s 2021 achievements
Now Gov. Mills should sign bills that would close Long Creek, end cash bail and decriminalize drug possession.
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Posted inNation & World
Opioids rip through U.S. workforce, with deaths at record level
Opioids are behind about three-fourths of the overdoses, according to Wednesday’s data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Posted inLocal & State
Augusta councilors get Narcan, training to help prevent drug overdose deaths
Maine Access Points, a group working to increase access to medication that can help prevent overdose deaths, trained city councilors Thursday night on how to take potentially life-saving action.
Posted inMaine Voices, Op-eds, Opinion
Maine Voices: We need a public health approach to substance use
L.D. 967, L.D. 994 and LR 1817 would prioritize the health and well-being of our neighbors and community members, not their punishment.
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Commentary: We need systemic change to address prescription misuse in Maine
Cleaning out the medicine cabinet for Drug Take Back Day on Saturday will help prevent unintended poisoning and medication diversion.
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Commentary: Liberalizing nation’s marijuana laws is not the answer to opioid misuse
Data show that Maine and the other 49 states risk a new addiction crisis by legalizing pot across the country.
Posted inGreg Kesich, Op-eds, Opinion
The View From Here: When a disease becomes a crime
In Maine, we are still trying to arrest our way out of an overdose epidemic that keeps getting worse.
Posted inMaine Voices, Op-eds, Opinion
Maine Voices: To keep Maine families together, stop treating people who use drugs as criminals
L.D. 967, LR 1817 and L.D. 994 would give more people a path to treatment and throw fewer people in jail.
Posted inCops & Courts, Local & State, News, Politics
Maine considers a new strategy in battle against opioid epidemic: decriminalization
Proposed legislation could make Maine the second state to stop arresting people for possessing small amounts of drugs such as opioids, and instead steer them toward treatment.