I am a junior at Deering High School. I thought I could share my opinion on the recent contention by Gov. LePage that a Deering student overdosed and was revived three times in one week.

I know for a fact that we did not have an overdose here at Deering. And I also know for a fact that the hypothetical student was not given Narcan, considering that we do not have it in the building. If EMTs are not allowed to carry it, why would a high school nurse be able to? It simply does not add up.

The cold hard truth is that LePage apparently needed reasons for why he vetoed the bill (for naloxone to be sold without prescription), and he did not have a solid reason. Therefore, he constructed some elaborate story about a Deering High School student who does not exist.

What I believe happened is that he was either confused or changed what happened last year in Deering Oaks, where someone had overdosed. What I do not understand is why he would change what actually happened.

We have a great school here in Portland, and great city officials and teachers for when things go wrong. If a student did overdose, they would have been rushed to Maine Medical Center or Mercy Hospital, not given Narcan and sent back to class.

None of it makes any sense. And I wanted to voice my thoughts on the complicated predicament from an insider’s perspective.

Hanna Amergian

Portland


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