Members of the Maine recovery community advocate for an amendment to the state Good Samaritan Law that would protect anyone at the scene of an overdose from punishment for nonviolent crimes.
opioid epidemic
Posted inMaine, News
Portrayed as villain in TV series about opioid crisis, ex-U.S. attorney for Maine says he didn’t sell out
Jay McCloskey, who has a brief but unflattering portrayal in the new miniseries ‘Dopesick,’ defends his work for the OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma in the early 2000s.
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Posted inBusiness, Health, Maine, News
Maine to receive $130 million over 18 years in national opioid lawsuit settlement
The money will be used to fight the ongoing epidemic that resulted in a record number of overdose deaths last year.
Posted inSouthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Operation HOPE extends shutdown amid omicron surge
After ceasing operations Dec. 16, the plan to resume the program on Jan. 14 has been postponed.
Posted inHealth, Maine, News
Maine shattered its annual record for overdose deaths in 2021
The 636 deaths, a 23% increase over 2020, are largely the result of fentanyl being added to other drugs. Increased isolation and other pandemic challenges also were factors.
Posted inHealth, Maine, News
Portland police reporting a rash of drug overdoses since Christmas
The trend in Portland seems to be a reflection of what has been happening in Maine as overdose deaths in 2021 are on pace to shatter the record set in 2020.
Posted inMaine, News
York County to give harm reduction bags to people leaving jail
The bags containing information about resources, fentanyl test strips and naloxone are designed to help people who have substance use disorder transition back into the community.
Posted inHealth, Maine, News
Coronavirus pandemic overshadows another Maine crisis: Drug overdose deaths
Maine is on pace to lose more than 600 residents to overdose this year, which would shatter the record set just last year.
Posted inBusiness, Nation / World, News
Oklahoma court overturns $465 million opioid ruling against Johnson & Johnson
The Oklahoma Supreme Court weighed whether the company’s marketing and sale of opioids created a public nuisance.
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, News
Hundreds ‘rally for recovery’ in Lewiston
Several people, including Councilor Stephanie Gelinas, shared stories of personal tragedy and triumph during Saturday’s event highlighting the opioid epidemic.