Governor signs anti-drug bill LD 1537 into law

01/19/2016 02:35 PM EST

Upon delivery to his desk of LD 1537 today, Governor Paul R. LePage immediately signed the anti-drug bill, LD 1537, into law.

"I'm pleased the House and Senate incorporated the common-sense recommendations of the minority report," said Governor LePage. "I had expressed concerns about funding sources and the grant-making authority, but I thank legislative leadership for their willingness to broker changes that both the administration and the legislature could support. To be clear, this bill is just the first step in a process that needs a much more comprehensive approach."

Drug deaths continue record pace through first nine months of 2015

12/30/2015 04:18 PM EST

 

 

AUGUSTA -Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner have released drug overdose statistics for the first nine months of 2015. The numbers paint a dire picture of Maine's opioid crisis. From January through September of 2015, deaths attributable to drug overdoses stood at 174. The state is on pace to reach between 230 and 250 overdose deaths this year. In 2014, there were a record 208 overdose deaths.

"Maine's opioid epidemic continues to rage," said Attorney General Mills. "This problem seems to have the attention of everyone but the users. I am heartened by the response I have seen from leaders in our state who all want to solve this problem. In recent days the police have taken major actions to disrupt the supply of heroin and other opiates into our state and to protect our citizenry from those who would sell it. We can and must do more. We must also begin the long effort of curbing the demand for these deadly substances by educating people of the dangers and supporting people in recovery from addiction."

Of the deaths in the first nine months of 2015, 113 (65%) involved at least one pharmaceutical drug and 111 (64%) involved at least one illicit drug. Many of these deaths (29%) were caused by a combination of pharmaceutical and illicit drugs. Pharmaceutical opioids remain a key substance category, with 70 deaths (40%) caused by at least one pharmaceutical opioid. Heroin and Fentanyl are increasingly named as a cause of death, with 71 (41%) deaths caused by heroin and 54 (31%) caused by fentanyl or acetyl fentanyl. In 74% of all the cases, multiple drugs are listed as a cause of death.

Weekly Message from Maine's US Senator Susan Collins is the best Information We've Heard Yet on our Nation's Heroin Addiction Crisis.

Finding Solutions to Our Nation’s Heroin Epidemic

 

 

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Posted Fri, 12/18/2015 - 17:35

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A heroin epidemic is sweeping across America.  Going beyond their traditional urban centers, drug cartels and big-city traffickers are targeting new lucrative markets in states and communities previously untouched by this scourge.
                      
Maine is one of those targets and has been hit particularly hard.  In 2014, there were 100 overdose deaths in our state from heroin and other substances – up from just 16 in 2010.  In the first half of this year, 63 overdose deaths were reported.  In the month of July alone, the City of Portland had 14 suspected heroin overdoses, including two deaths in one day.  As another measure of the extent of this crisis, the number of people seeking treatment for opiate abuse has tripled during the last four years.

This epidemic is the result of a “one-two punch.”  First, more than a decade ago, the increased use of prescription opiate painkillers for legitimate medical purposes led to a dramatic increase in the abuse of those medications and also in overdoses.  Second, as medical and law enforcement officials took steps to make it more difficult to obtain prescription opioids illegally, the street price of those drugs soared and cheap, readily available heroin filled the void.  A single recreational dose of a prescription painkiller can cost $40 or more on the street, while a single dose of heroin can be purchased for as little as $5.  Users often initially become addicted to the prescription drugs they wrongly consider safe and then, due to the cost of feeding a daily addiction, switch to the cheaper illegal heroin.

The reason big-city traffickers are targeting northern New England is also a matter of economics.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, Maine and New Hampshire have the dubious distinction of having the most prescriptions per person for long-acting and high-dose painkillers.  Thus, our states have a high concentration of potential heroin customers.

All too often, the road to addiction begins with a legitimate medical issue.  Not long ago, a young man in Maine told me that he was prescribed an opioid painkiller after he was injured playing high school football.  He began abusing prescription drugs in college, and that led to heroin.  His is a tragic but common story.

But perhaps most tragic is the effect of this epidemic on the most vulnerable in our society – the babies born to addicts.  It is heartbreaking that nearly 1,000 babies suffering from addiction have been born in Maine already this year, a number which represents about eight percent of all births in our state.  Nationwide, there has been a staggering 300 percent increase in the number of infants diagnosed with newborn withdrawal since 2000, and the cost of treatment for these newborns was more than $700 million in 2009. Researchers estimate that more than one baby every twenty-five minutes is now born dependent on drugs and suffering from withdrawal.

In October, the Senate passed the Protecting Our Infants Acts, a bipartisan bill I sponsored that will help address the growing crisis of opioid use and abuse among pregnant women and its effect on newborn babies. This law will help some of our most vulnerable children receive the best possible start in life. The doctors and other health care providers treating them do an extraordinary job of helping these infants, but clearly more needs to be done to prevent this problem from occurring in the first place. This legislation commissions a broad strategy to identify current gaps in prevention and treatment, improve coordination among federal programs, and help ensure that our public health system is best equipped to treat opioid addicted mothers and their babies in Maine and across our country.

Early this month, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing at my request on the heroin crisis and the abuse of prescription painkillers.  The expert testimony and the keen interest shown by my colleagues from throughout the nation make it clear that this truly is an epidemic.

The time for action is now.  This crisis calls for a three-pronged approach:

The first is prevention through education. We must better educate our young people so they know how dangerous prescription drugs, as well as heroin, can be.  We need to educate patients that there may be safe and effective alternatives to strong and potentially addictive painkillers.  And we need to do a better job of educating health care providers about those options.

The second prong is law enforcement.  Our law enforcement agencies need the resources to shut off the supply of heroin coming from international cartels, such as Mexican drug gangs.
The third is treatment.  I am distressed that we have seen the loss of treatment options, such as the closure last spring of Mercy Hospital’s outpatient center, because of low reimbursement rates and a lack of funding for that important work.

As a result of the shortage of treatment options, this epidemic is playing out in emergency rooms, county jails, and on Main Streets throughout the country.   Maine sheriffs tell me that their jails are overwhelmed by those struggling with addiction and that they cannot arrest their way out of this epidemic. Jails are not designed to take the place of treatment centers, yet sheriffs and police chiefs must train their officers to look for signs of withdrawal and monitor mental health status.  I believe the federal government could assist in forging greater cooperation between law enforcement and treatment centers.

I have asked the Administration to act on one particular issue immediately.  Right now, primary care physicians are restricted on the number of patients they can treat with drugs that help wean people off of heroin.  The cap of 30 initial patients, with the possibility of a waiver for 100, was arbitrarily set 15 years ago.  Most of the witnesses at our hearing agreed with me that the cap should be eliminated altogether.

This drug epidemic is a national crisis that has its greatest effect at the local level -- on our streets, in our homes, in our schools and communities – and that touches all lives, from infants to adults. It is encouraging that so many of my colleagues from across the country share my concern and are committed to finding solutions.

ADDICTION......Where to get HELP in Maine.

ADDICTION....Where to Get Help

To find substance abuse treatment services in Maine, go to the online:

Maine Substance Abuse Treatment Services Directory,

or call the the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, Information and Resource Center:

1-800-499-0027(in Maine only) or 207-287-8900

Maine statewide information line: Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 5:00
The Resource Center can provide information about substance abuse and listings of treatment agencies and support group meetings in Maine.

Other resources:

• 2-1-1 (Maine):
  a comprehensive directory of health and human services in Maine.
  Talk to a call specialist or visit the web site at: http://www.211maine.org/


• Maine Statewide Crisis Hotline: 1-888-568-1112
  Maine statewide 24 hour crisis hotline.


• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) The hotline and associated crisis centers around the country support languages spoken by refugees and other vulnerable populations.

York County Sherriffs to Host "Nar-Anon" Family Group at York County Jail in Alfred.

York County Sherriff's Department will host "Nar-Anon" meetings at the York County Sheriff's Office Community Room beginning on Sunday, November 15th at 7:00 pm. 
Nar-Anon meetings are a safe place for families of addicts and/or drug addicted people to learn strategies on dealing with addiction. 
Grieving friends and families of people who have lost the battle with addiction are also encouraged to attend.

The meeting will be held next Sunday, November 15th at 7:00 pm in the Community Room at the York County Jail, 1 Layman Way, Alfred.
The moderator and organizer of "Nar-Anon" meetings is Ms. Kathleen Cerullo, who lost her son to a heroin overdose.

 

State Drug Agents Making Record Number of Drug Arrests

 

AUGUSTA – After an alarming increase of drug-related arrests during the past week, including a major bust in the Capitol City, Governor Paul R. LePage is praising the work of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) saying their work is critical to curbing the pandemic plaguing the State.
MDEA agents have made twenty heroin related arrests since Monday, October 26, and agents and the State Medical Examiner’s Office report nine suspected heroin overdose deaths in the same period.
“I commend MDEA and local law enforcement for getting these drugs off our streets,” said Governor LePage. “The work they are doing is critical to curbing a pandemic we have on our hands—a pandemic that lawmakers are ignoring. One of the biggest drug busts we have seen in years occurred just this week in Augusta at the Senator Inn where many legislators stay during session. Seven people were arrested after drug agents seized lethal amounts of crack and heroin, all of which would have gone out on our streets. But legislators still refuse to give our law enforcement agencies the manpower they need.”
For years, Governor LePage has championed legislation to provide the MDEA with adequate resources to deal with Maine’s exploding drug issue. In 2014, he proposed a bill to provide the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with 14 agent positions; add 4 new special drug prosecutors; and add 4 new judges to sit in enhanced drug courts. In 2015, legislators watered down the bill adding just 4 drug agents, 2 new prosecutors and 2 new judges.
“Five of the seven people arrested this week are from Augusta and New York City,” said Governor LePage. “This further illustrates the infiltration of out-of-state drug dealers coming into Maine. Our agents are doing everything they can to stop the dealers, but they need more help.”
Maine’s top drug agent says the rise in drug trafficking is causing an increased threat to public safety and health. “The Maine Chiefs of Police and the Maine Sheriffs have made it clear that local law enforcement officials desperately need more resources to fight the drug problem in our State,” said Roy McKinney, director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Governor LePage has noted he will use executive authority to call upon assistance from the National Guard if the Legislature won’t make additional resources available to stop the flow of deadly drugs into Maine. The Governor has expressed interest in activating up to a dozen National Guard members who would support MDEA efforts.
“I am deeply concerned that we have people dying daily from suspected heroin overdoses and we continue to have out-of-state drug dealers entering our state. Repeatedly I have requested the Legislature to help, but they refuse to fully support the needs of the MDEA. If lawmakers won’t step up, then I will have no choice other than to ask the National Guard to help.”