Westbrook, MAINE -- Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett today called on Maine’s Republican gubernatorial candidates to declare their support for a bipartisan bill introduced by Speaker Sara Gideon this morning that would allow adults under the age of 21 to purchase naloxone over the counter:
“Raising the age to purchase naloxone from 18 to 21 is not only bad public policy, but it also runs completely counter to the intent of the law which was to ease access to the medication to begin with,” said Phil Bartlett, Chairman of the Maine Democratic Party. “While Shawn Moody remained shamefully silent like he always does, Mary Mayhew, Ken Fredette, and Garrett Mason have all previously expressed support for making naloxone more accessible. Now, we once again have to step up to oppose Governor LePage’s and Joe Bruno’s efforts to further restrict this medication, especially in light of last year’s record-breaking number of drug deaths. Today, we call on Moody, Mayhew, Fredette, and Mason to pledge their support for Speaker Gideon’s bill.”
Speaker Gideon’s bipartisan bill comes in the wake of an unexpected and unnecessary move by the Chair of the Maine Board of Pharmacy, Joe Bruno, who, at the last minute, raised the age of people able to purchase naloxone from 18 to 21.
The change, which came after Governor LePage stalled the rules for five months, was a pragmatic move, Bruno alleged, to garner Governor LePage’s approval. However, Governor LePage - whose ideological opposition to naloxone is shared by nearly no one - had previously said that he didn’t need to approve the rules for the law to move forward. Bruno is a big financial backer of both Paul LePage and Republican gubernatorial candidate Shawn Moody, the only Republican candidate who has not broken with LePage to call for the rules to move forward.
The auto-body repair shop chain owner and Republican gubernatorial candidate did however disparage young Mainers struggling with drug addiction in a recent radio interview, saying they’re “not disciplined, they can’t say no” and that they don’t have “the work-ethic” to avoid drug use.
Even President Donald Trump supports increasing access to naloxone, traveling to New Hampshire recently to announce the creation of a program aimed at providing free doses of the life-saving, anti-overdose medication naloxone to high schools, colleges, and universities – making him the latest Republican to disagree with Governor Paul LePage’s opposition to expanding access to the drug.
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