More than 40 people testified today before the legislature\u2019s Health and Human Services Committee in support of the bipartisan bill LD 1975<\/a>, “An Act to Implement a Statewide Public Health Response to Substance Use and Amend the Laws Governing Scheduled Drugs”.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advocates, lawmakers and medical professionals urged the committee to vote in favor of the bill, which calls upon the legislature to adopt a public health response to Maine\u2019s deadly overdose crisis. (More on the bill<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bill sponsor Rep. Lydia Crafts (D-Newcastle) spoke about her father\u2019s struggle with alcohol: \u201cMy father’s story is one of challenge, sadness, and despair, but he survived. It meant leaving Maine, finding recovery, and rebuilding his life. Every day, I wish we could have found a treatment bed here in Maine when he needed it. Because we had the means, knowledge, and access, we got him help. Every Mainer deserves that, not just those who can afford it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Crafts added, \u201cOur public health approach to LD 1975 aims to help people rebuild their lives through medical intervention, increased connection, and social support. Incarceration impedes this goal. Today, we stand up, calling for Maine to change the narrative of substance use disorder. This public health crisis demands a public health response. We must change course by passing LD 1975 this session.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. Lucas Lanigan, a Republican from Sanford, is a co-sponsor of the bill. He shared the story of his son\u2019s struggle with heroin addiction and subsequent recovery, and added, \u201cNone of us are immune to the far-reaching consequences of addiction, and it is my sincere hope that, by hearing my story, my Republican colleagues can reconsider their stance before a similar tragedy hits closer to home. Let us approach this issue with empathy, understanding, and a shared commitment to finding effective solutions that can save lives and strengthen our communities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lanigan added, \u201cWe have a choice to make. We can either continue to bury our heads in the sand or invest in the future of so many tormented with addiction and mental health problems. We can invest now, or we will pay later. It really is that simple.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sen. Pinny Beebe-Center (D-Knox) also testified in favor of the bill, saying, \u201cEvidence shows that connection with others and being part of a community are the most important factors for giving people the stability they need to find sustained recovery. LD 1975 allows people to create connections, stay in touch with their loved ones, and receive the care and help they need in their own communities, instead of alone, in jail, with little medical help. It is time to treat drug use for the health issue that it is. LD 1975 does that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. David Boyer (R-Poland) said, \u201cSubstance use disorder is a public health issue, not a criminal one. I support LD 1975 because law enforcement has bigger fish to fry than criminalizing folks struggling with addiction.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Roxanne Kai, a resident of Woodstock, said, \u201cAs a child losing her dad to substance use complications leading to his heart giving out, I had a very strange relationship to my understanding of drug use. I was angry at him\u2014how could he do that to me? I was wishing he had medical help and resources. I was mad at the doctors who warned him about his heart but didn\u2019t help him\u2026 And I\u2019m still mad. Because even though 21 years later we have made positive progress in how we view and treat and care for those struggling with substance use disorders, we are not where we need to be. Why?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kai added, \u201cLD 1975 is needed. We need a health-based approach. We need better access to public health services. We need programs that help people, not punish them. So that way today\u2019s kids don\u2019t lose their dads too.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashley Sabine, a resident of Lewiston, said, \u201cOne week from this day will be 13 years since I lost my partner to drug overdose. He was 21 years old when he passed away. He never did learn how to swim or drive. We never got to dance at our wedding, live together, or grow old side by side. He never got the chance to meet his daughter and now she will grow up without her father. It was all cut short because of his struggles with drugs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sabine added, \u201cAddiction is a disease that has been destroying the lives of Maine\u2019s families for many years. The drug of choice may have changed, but the effects remain the same. People who use drugs are not without value because of their struggles and should not be labeled as criminals. Addicts are partners, parents, sons and daughters; they are people who are suffering, and they deserve the chance to recover.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mainers using substances cannot access the care they need, resulting in devastating drug overdoses within our communities. Recent research reveals that around 169,000 Mainers<\/a> ages 12 and up are actively seeking treatment for substance use disorders, yet are unable to access it.\u202fThat\u2019s 14% of Mainers over the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There is only one 24\/7 receiving center in Maine (with another in the pipeline) and many recovery community centers around the state receive only $50,000 every year; and the Maine Recovery Council, whose job it is to distribute grants from the nationwide opioid settlement, is also hindered by a financial shortfall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the state is spending $111 million yearly on the arrest, prosecution, defense, and incarceration of people who use drugs. Simultaneously, the existing drug laws contribute to the deterioration of lives, fostering overdose deaths due to criminalization and societal stigma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We need a public health response to our state\u2019s deadly overdose crisis, not one that criminalizes people who use drugs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n LD 1975 would institute a comprehensive statewide response to substance use by: <\/p>\n\n\n\n ####<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Maine Drug Policy Coalition is proud to have the support of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services, American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, American Nurses Association of Maine, Church of Safe Injection, commonspace, Decriminalize Maine, Equality Maine, Maine Access Points, Maine Behavioral Health Community Collaborative, Maine Council of Churches, Maine Drug Policy Lab, Maine People’s Alliance, Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, Maine Recovery Advocacy Project, Maine Reentry Network, Maine Society of Orthopedic Surgeons, Maine Women\u2019s Lobby, and Needle Point Sanctuary. Read more about the campaign to pass LD 1975 at <\/em>SaveLivesPassLD1975.com<\/em><\/a>.\u202f<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n ####<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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