While much is being said, and many continue to provide lukewarm pep-talks about the current opioid epidemic, not enough is being done and this war is claiming lives by the hour. Action is needed yet action is being bogged down by party politics and apprehension while the situation is becoming more dire and the issue continues to spread. Today in Maine someone will die of an overdose, a child will lose a parent, a parent will lose a child and person, just like you or me, will leave this earth forever. The death toll continues to rise and together we can act to fight against this.
There is a piece of legislation in front of our lawmakers now entitled LD 1711. This bill is a resolve to begin a pilot project that looks to establish aid to individuals struggling with drug addiction and homelessness and could provide Maine with the step forward we so greatly need.
I ask the reader to explore this bill and any other possible solutions to this issue. Please get involved within your community and within your government. Unless we the people step up and work together to combat this epidemic, we will never see the problem fixed.
In the sobering words of Dr. Seuss “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not” (Seuss, The Lorax, 1971).
Connor Tyrrell
Brunswick
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