The state has made strides in addressing the opioid crisis in recent years, but methamphetamine use — often in combination with other substances — is creating new challenges.
narcan
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine, Schools & Education
Naloxone training coming to Lewiston schools next week, Auburn soon
Mandated by a new state law, public schools now offer training for students in secondary education to teach them how to administer the overdose antidote, even if the students choose not to take part.
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Posted inNews
Mid Coast Hospital offering overdose-reversing med to new mothers
Maine set a record for drug overdose deaths in 2022, and hospital officials said they are trying new approaches to stem the tide.
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: Narcan — The misunderstood hero of the drug underworld
It was late on a Friday night and somewhere in Auburn another drug overdose was underway. I don’t know if it was man or woman, this time, or if the victim was young or old. All I knew for sure was that the first responder from the Fire Department had administered Narcan and the victim […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Pharmacy board raises age for those allowed to buy lifesaving overdose antidote
AUGUSTA – Maine’s Board of Pharmacy on Thursday approved amended rules that would allow pharmacists to dispense the opiate overdose reversal drug naloxone without a prescription but only to individuals age 21 or older. In an apparent compromise struck with Gov. Paul LePage, the board voted early Thursday to increase the age from 18 to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine panel to craft rules for pharmacies to dispense naloxone
PORTLAND (AP) — The Maine Board of Pharmacy meets this week to craft rules for pharmacies to begin dispensing the overdose antidote naloxone without a prescription. The original bill to make naloxone available over the counter passed more than a year ago but languished until the pharmacy board told lawmakers last year that the law […]
Posted inMaine
Paul LePage: It’s unfair Narcan is free but allergy pens aren’t
AUGUSTA — Maine’s Republican governor says people on opiates who get free shots of Narcan have an advantage over people with allergies who have to pay for their own medication. Gov. Paul LePage said during a Tuesday radio call-in that he got a letter from a dad whose family members have to carry allergy pens […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Health officials worried about the skyrocketing price of Narcan
PORTLAND — With national reports suggesting that the price of Narcan is skyrocketing, Maine health care professionals and legislators are concerned about the increase’s potential impact on addicts in the state. Portland Fire Chief David Jackson tells The Portland Press Herald that he’s seen “fairly significant” cost spikes for the opioid overdose antidote and other […]
Posted inMaine
AMA urges Maine lawmakers to overturn Narcan veto
AUGUSTA — In a letter Wednesday, the top doctor for the American Medical Association urged Maine lawmakers to overturn the governor’s veto of a bill that would have provided broader access to the opioid overdose drug naloxone — known commonly by its brand name, Narcan. “Maine, like nearly every state in the nation, is seeing […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Milo police chief criticizes LePage for Narcan veto
AUGUSTA — A small town police chief is criticizing Maine Gov. Paul LePage for vetoing a bill that would allow access to an opioid overdose antidote. Chief Damien Pickel of Milo, which has fewer than 2,000 residents, takes issue with the Republican governor’s contention that the antidote Narcan does not save lives. In a Facebook […]