PORTLAND (AP) — Maine has directed most of the first wave of federal emergency money to target the opioid crisis on treatment, according to an Associated Press analysis, similar to other states that have not expanded Medicaid. States are taking very different approaches to spending their initial allotments under the 21st Century Cures Act grant program, according […]
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Posted inMaine
How each candidate for governor would tackle Medicaid expansion, the opioid crisis and protecting Maine’s most vulnerable
Health care policy is a frequent topic on the Maine gubernatorial campaign trail, with issues such as Medicaid expansion and the opioid crisis turning up in campaign literature, advertisements, on the stump and at debates. Maine voters approved Medicaid expansion by a 59 to 41 percent margin in November 2017, which would make 70,000 low-income […]
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York County launches treatment program for addicted inmates
The York County Sheriff’s Office and a local addiction recovery group have won a state grant to bring the gold standard in opiate addiction treatment to a small group of inmates at the jail. Up to 10 inmates could begin a regimen of medication-assisted treatment before the end of the year through the new pilot […]
Posted inNation / World
Fentanyl test strips lead to more caution among illicit drug users
Illicit drug users who are certain that fentanyl is mixed into the heroin they consume are much more likely to take precautions that reduce their chances of overdosing, researchers reported Wednesday in a small study. The survey examined the use of fentanyl test strips by 125 injection drug users in Greensboro, North Carolina, over a […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Overdose deaths in Maine averaged nearly one per day during first half of 2018
Drug overdoses continued to claim nearly one life per day in Maine during the first six months of 2018 despite intensive efforts – from the State House to sober houses – to slow the opioid crisis. There were 180 overdose deaths in Maine through June 30, down just slightly from the 185 drug-related deaths reported […]
Posted inMaine
Westbrook officer exposed to fentanyl during traffic stop, goes to hospital
A Westbrook police officer was briefly hospitalized Tuesday after he was exposed to suspected fentanyl powder during a late-night traffic stop and began to feel ill, police said. After the stop, Maria V. Bowie, 36, was charged with aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs, assault on an officer, reckless conduct, unlawful […]
Posted inMaine
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions says law enforcement plays critical role in opioid fight
Law enforcement has an important role to play in helping the nation respond to the opioid drug crisis, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday after a meeting in Portland with local law enforcement officials. “Enforcement of drug laws is never more important than now.” Sessions said in a press conference at the U.S. Attorney’s […]
Posted inNation / World
Justice Department to launch ‘enforcement surge’ to fight opioids in Maine
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is launching a program that seeks to reduce the supply of synthetic opioids in areas with high overdose rates – including Maine – by cracking down on suppliers. Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge, or S.O.S., will involve an “enforcement surge” in 10 U.S. districts that have among the highest drug overdose […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Attorney General Jeff Sessions to visit Portland on Friday to discuss opioid crisis
Attorney General Jeff Sessions will visit Portland Friday to discuss the opioid epidemic with local law enforcement, according to two law enforcement sources. The event will be held at the Portland office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine, where Sessions is expected to give remarks and discuss the national drug epidemic that continues […]
Posted inMaine
Retired Maine state trooper sent to prison for selling drugs
Jeffrey Linscott, a retired Maine state trooper who pleaded guilty to dealing drugs, will serve a year in prison, a Cumberland County Superior Court justice ruled Monday. Linscott, of Buxton, pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in cocaine. According to documents and statements in court Monday, he was also selling fentanyl, a much more […]