PARIS — A newly formed task force in western Maine may be a point of light in the fight against heroin and other life-threatening drugs that have beleaguered the region in recent months. The Western Maine Addiction Task Force is a collaborative group of federal, state, local and county government officials, private organizations, community nonprofits and […]
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Posted inMaine
LePage drug summit invitees differ on desired outcomes
AUGUSTA — A day after U.S. Sen. Angus King convened a roundtable discussion about the “public health and safety crisis” of opioid abuse in Maine, local, state and federal officials will gather Wednesday in Augusta for a similar summit convened by Republican Gov. Paul LePage. While King’s forum featured the federal director of national drug […]
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King plans opoid abuse roundtable a day ahead of LePage’s summit
AUGUSTA – Just a day before Maine’s Republican Gov. Paul LePage will host a summit meeting on Maine’s ever-growing heroin abuse problem, U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, will host his own roundtable on a similar topic. LePage’s summit is planned for Wednesday, Aug. 26, and King has called his meeting for Tuesday, Aug. 25, in […]
Posted inMaine
Attorney General: Fatal drug overdoses continue to rise in Maine
AUGUSTA — Maine Attorney General Janet Mills said overdose deaths related to illegal drugs, including heroin and fentanyl, continue to climb. Since January, 105 people have died from an overdose in Maine, according to a release issued by Mills’ office. “These numbers are terribly distressing,” Mills said. “The first six months of 2015 show that […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage announces participants in drug abuse prevention summit
The LePage administration has released the list of participants at a drug abuse prevention summit Gov. Paul LePage will host Aug. 26 in Augusta. The governor has been planning the summit in response to a significant spike in heroin coming into Maine and a rash of recent overdoses. On the list are a mix of […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
White House wants to fight heroin by uniting public health, police forces
WASHINGTON — As heroin overdoses and deaths soar in many parts of the nation, the White House plans to announce on Monday an initiative that will for the first time pair public health and law enforcement in an effort to shift the emphasis from punishment to the treatment of addicts. The experiment, initially funded for […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
In heroin fight, White House tries to break down walls between public health, police
WASHINGTON — As heroin overdoses and deaths soar in many parts of the nation, the White House plans to announce on Monday an initiative that will for the first time pair public health and law enforcement in an effort to shift the emphasis from punishment to the treatment of addicts. The experiment, initially funded for […]
Posted inMaine
Collins, King urge feds to increase access for opioid treatment
The same day Republican Gov. Paul LePage reiterated his intent to use National Guard troops to fight Maine’s growing heroin problem, the state’s U.S. senators called on the federal government to increase access to treatment programs for painkiller addicts. Those addicted to prescription painkillers often use heroin as a substitute when they can no longer […]
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Wilton man faces heroin charges after New Sharon traffic stop
NEW SHARON — A Wilton man is accused of possessing 1 gram of heroin after he was stopped by a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy Monday for a traffic violation on Mount Hill Road, Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said Tuesday. Detective Stephen Charles arrested Benjamin Soha, 30, on felony charges of possession of heroin and trafficking […]
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Surge in heroin overdoses spurs Portland to try new treatment program
PORTLAND — Portland first responders received a surge of heroin overdose calls over the weekend, prompting city officials to draw attention to existing treatment resources and continue a call for a new program to divert people arrested straight to a treatment program. During a media event Wednesday afternoon, Portland Mayor Michael Brennan said the city […]