Opioids are behind about three-fourths of the overdoses, according to Wednesday’s data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
opioid epidemic
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Our View: Augusta police, others using lessons learned to save lives from overdose
Maine law enforcement agencies continue to show leadership in the fight against substance use disorder.
Drug overdose deaths remain high in latest monthly report
The Maine Attorney General’s Office report showed 45 confirmed or suspected deaths in February, down slightly from January but still above the monthly average in 2020, a record year.