As preliminary data point to a plateau in drug deaths, Maine is finally in a position to implement measures that have helped other states.
opioid epidemic
Posted inNation & World, News
Bloomberg Philanthropies will give $50 million to fight opioid epidemic
The money will target efforts in 10 states, starting with Pennsylvania.
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Posted inHealth, Nation & World
Suicide, overdose rates driving U.S life expectancy down
Overall, there were more than 2.8 million U.S. deaths in 2017, or nearly 70,000 more than the previous year, according to the CDC.
Posted inMaine Voices, Op-eds, Opinion
Maine Voices: Bad policy denies vital resource to those struggling with drugs
A crackdown on a Lewiston syringe exchange effort also needlessly pits public health against law enforcement.
Posted inCops & Courts, Health, Local & State, News
Lewiston police tell mobile needle exchange program to halt distribution
The program, which its founder calls the Church of Safe Injection, is violating a state law that prohibits people from distributing hypodermic needles, police say.
Posted inLocal & State
Activists hang banners calling for safe injection site in Maine’s largest city
Portland OPS is calling on city officials to open a facility where people can inject drugs under medical supervision, which they say reduces overdose deaths.
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Fixing Maine’s youth justice system long overdue, but there’s new hope
The new governor and other elected leaders should develop and fund community-based alternatives to incarceration for the state’s young people.
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: A ‘church’ that wants to save lives, not souls
There is no real medical dispute over harm reduction, only a political one.
Posted inElection 2018, Elections, Local & State, News, Politics
House District 49: Candidates see luring workers, fighting drugs as crucial
Michael Stevens is challenging incumbent Matthea Daughtry for a third time.
Posted inLocal & State, News
In this church, salvation comes with a clean needle or heroin overdose antidote
Operating in a legal gray area, the mobile needle exchange program brings needed supplies and a message of hope to people struggling with substance use.