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.

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 AGs call for passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act

 

 

09/29/2015 03:59 PM EDT

(AUGUSTA) As states continue to address the epidemic of heroin and opioid-based painkiller abuse and addiction and its devastating effect on public health and safety in communities, Attorney General Janet T. Mills is joining attorneys general from 37 states and the District of Columbia today, in a bi-partisan letter to the leadership of the committees on the Judiciary for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives urging passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015 (S. 524/HR 953). The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act would provide states with the tools to confront the growing challenge of heroin and opioid abuse and addiction. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses now surpass automobile accidents as the leading cause of injury-related death for Americans between the ages of 25 and 64. More than 100 Americans die as a result of overdose in this country every day - more than half of them caused by prescription drugs or heroin. In Maine in 2014 a record number of people died from drug overdose - 208. Heroin, fentanyl and prescription opiates are the primary cause of these deaths in Maine. "We know that addiction is a treatable disease, but we also know that only about 10 percent of those who need treatment are receiving it. And, while heroin and opioid abuse are the primary concern for states right now, we must move beyond simple responses to drug trends and emerging threats, and concentrate on improving addiction treatment and recovery nationwide," said Attorney General Mills. In the letter, the attorneys general write, "Law enforcement has always been on the frontline when it comes to drug crises, but we cannot arrest ourselves out of this epidemic. Research shows the best way to address this challenge is through a strategy that includes prevention, law enforcement, reduction of overdose deaths, evidence-based treatment, and support for those in, or seeking, recovery."

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015 will: Expand prevention and educational efforts - particularly aimed at teens, parents and other caretakers, and aging populations - to prevent the abuse of opioids and heroin and to promote treatment and recovery; Expand the availability of naloxone to law enforcement agencies and other first responders to help in the reversal of overdoses to save lives; Expand resources to identify and treat incarcerated individuals suffering from addiction disorders promptly by collaborating with criminal justice stakeholders and by providing evidence-based treatment; Expand disposal sites for unwanted prescription medications to keep them out of the hands of children and adolescents; Launch an evidence-based opioids and heroin treatment and intervention program to assist in treatment and recovery throughout the country; and Strengthen prescription drug monitoring programs to help states monitor and track prescription drug diversion and to help at-risk individuals access services. "Only through a comprehensive approach that leverages evidence-based law enforcement and health care services, including treatment, can we stop and reverse the epidemic of drug addiction and death," added Attorney General Mills.