As a lieutenant and advanced emergency management technician, or EMT, for the Biddeford Fire Department, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating effect drugs, especially opioids, have on the people who fall victim to dependence and addiction. When I started working in emergency services 27 years ago, I rarely was called to respond to drug overdoses. It was normal to only see one overdose a month, or sometimes none.
But times have changed. Today, it’s not unusual to see three or four overdoses a week. Some people can be saved, but for others, it’s too late.
According to Attorney General Janet Mills, last year was the worst on record for overdose deaths in our state, with 208 Mainers losing their lives to substance abuse. Mills says this year is on track to be just as bad, if not worse. By the end of June this year, drugs had killed 105 people.
Maine must take a stand against substance abuse to prevent any more needless deaths. The state and its people must take a multi-prong approach to fighting substance abuse and addiction, including prevention, rehabilitation and law enforcement.
I was disappointed to see Gov. Paul LePage’s recent drug summit focus nearly exclusively on the criminal aspect of addiction. It’s important to support our men and women in uniform as they seek to arrest dealers and traffickers – that’s why the Legislature voted to create more drug agents and prosecutors in this year’s budget deal.
But the War on Drugs hasn’t kept Mainers from getting addicted, and it hasn’t kept Mainers from dying. Meanwhile, substance abuse treatment providers say there are fewer and fewer resources available as they try to help struggling addicts recover.
Mercy Recovery Center, which helped treat addicts from across southern Maine, recently announced it was closing its doors for good. That means more people who want to get well will be back on the streets. What’s more, MPBN recently reported long wait lists for methadone and suboxone treatment, even for people who can afford to pay for treatment out-of-pocket.
Sometimes it feels like we’re digging deeper and deeper into a hole. The walls keep getting higher and as they do, it gets harder and harder for us to climb out.
As the drug epidemic continues to dominate headlines and, sadly, claim the lives of more Mainers, the Legislature will be called upon to address the problem when lawmakers return to Augusta in January. Any approach to fighting addiction must include increased funding for prevention and treatment.
I look forward to a day when I and my fellow EMTs are no longer called to overdose scenes on a near-daily basis. But for that day to come, the state must act.
— Sen. David Dutremble represents Senate District 32 which includes Alfred, Biddeford, Dayton, Kennebunkport and Lyman.
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