BANGOR — Maine Gov. Paul LePage says he’d use the Maine National Guard “if necessary” to help fight an epidemic of heroin and other drugs.

LePage told WVOM-FM in Bangor that he has the authority to use the National Guard if the Legislature refuses to provide the resources he’s sought. His remark was an apparent dig at lawmakers who rejected his requests to hire additional agents at the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

LePage announced last week that he will convene a drug summit and told Maine Public Broadcasting Network that he’ll use “everything legally possible” to attack the epidemic.

He made it clear Tuesday that he believes in a hard line. He said drug traffickers should be put in “Super Max” because traffickers “are murderers, and murderers should all be together.”

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filed under:
drug abuse, National Guard, Paul LePage, politics
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