We know that in the first half of this year, drugs killed 105 Maine people. We don’t have final numbers for 2015 yet, but it’s likely the final death toll will be around twice that figure, setting a new record in our state.
Every day seems to bring a new story in the newspaper or on TV about drugs and how they’re tearing our state apart. In 2013, the New York Times described heroin’s “abundant, deadly and alarming” comeback in our state. By this year, Maine had become the “burning core of a nationwide heroin epidemic,” according to the Washington Post.
But for drug addiction victims and their families, this tragedy is more than a headline. It is a rot cutting hundreds of Mainers’ lives short and devastating countless more.
This is an urgent crisis that demands action.
In Augusta, we’ve already taken some steps. Two years ago, over Gov. Paul LePage’s objections, we passed a law to dramatically increase access to Narcan, a lifesaving drug that can stop an overdose in its tracks. Narcan has already saved lives in our state.
This year, as part of the biennial budget I helped craft on the Appropriations Committee, we provided six more agents to the MDEA, and increased the number of state prosecutors and judges dedicated to cleaning up our streets. The governor vetoed that budget, but lawmakers were able to override his veto.
Now, when we return to Augusta in January, we’ll be considering a new, comprehensive plan to address the state’s drug abuse and addiction epidemic.
First, the plan provides treatment options for more people whose lives are being ruined by addiction. It would create a new detox facility in Bangor, at the heart of a region that currently has no detox beds. It provides funding to support more outpatient and residential treatment for uninsured Mainers, and it doubles the number of Peer Support Recovery Centers, which help keep people in recovery from relapsing.
Second, the plan doubles down on the commitment to law enforcement the Legislature made in this year’s budget deal. It hires 10 more MDEA agents, who will conduct investigations, arrest drug dealers and work day and night to get this deadly poison off our streets. It also supports the creation of additional drug intervention programs like Operation HOPE at the Scarborough Police Department. There, addicts can turn to police officers for help getting into recovery. The program has helped 50 people in its first 50 days.
This multi-pronged approach simultaneously limits the demand for drugs by helping addicts recover while cutting into the drug supply by disrupting the flow of drugs up I-95 and into our state.
This plan was negotiated by the top Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate, and already enjoys broad support. However, it must still be vetted thoroughly by the committees of jurisdiction, including the Appropriations Committee. There, I’ll be looking out to make sure every taxpayer dollar we spend on this catastrophe is spent in the smartest, most efficient way.
There are also five other bills the Legislature will be considering this year, focused on both sides of the drug abuse equation. Given the gravity of the situation, I can only hope that everyone in Augusta can put politics aside and do the right thing. It may be an election year, but there’s no excuse for letting these solutions fall victim to political posturing or maneuvering.
Our nation and our state have been fighting the War on Drugs for a long time. We are more equipped now than we’ve ever been before. Let’s get it done.
— Sen. Linda Valentino of Saco, represents Senate District 31.
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