Today, Governor Mills held her fourth annual Opioid Response Summit, and underscored her commitment to addressing the crisis. Since taking office, Gov. Mills has made significant investments in a number of services and programs to help people struggling with substance use disorders. Particularly important has been her administration’s distribution of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, which has saved lives across the state. Gov. Mills also worked with both parties in the legislature to pass one of the strongest Good Samaritan laws in the nation, which allows individuals assisting at the site of an overdose to call emergency services without risking legal jeopardy. According to Courtney Allen, organizing director for the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project, the bipartisan bill “will save lives.”
Governor Mills’ record of decisive action on the opioid crisis is a welcome change after her predecessor, Paul LePage, spent eight years attempting to block efforts to address the crisis. LePage repeatedly stood in the way of progress, vetoing bills to lower costs for less addictive opioids and fund treatment centers. He also forfeited the chance to pursue millions in federal funding for opioid treatment programs and, according to the Portland Press Herald, his refusal to implement Medicaid expansion “likely contributed” to the overdose death toll.
Perhaps most appalling was LePage’s opposition to expanding access to naloxone, which LePage said “does not truly save lives; it merely extends them until the next overdose.” LePage’s resistance to making naloxone more available and expanding access to opioid use treatment earned him some of the sharpest criticism from Maine press of his entire time in office, including headlines like:
Bangor Daily News: LePage’s Latest Vetoes Hurt Maine People. Lawmakers Should Override Them
Portland Press Herald: LePage Policy Undermines Overdose Crisis Response
Kennebec Journal: LePage’s Inaction on Naloxone Puts Lives in Danger
Maine Beacon: Despite Rising Death Toll, LePage Vetoes Opioid Treatment Bills
Portland Press Herald: LePage-Era Foot-Dragging Blocks Access to Treatment; The Legislature Need to Act, or Maine Will Continue to Do Nothing in the Face of a Crisis
“Paul LePage’s opposition to bipartisan legislation to provide Mainers with life-saving treatment in the face of skyrocketing overdose deaths caused unnecessary death and suffering across the state,” said Drew Gattine, Chair of the Maine Democratic Party. “Governor Mills is committed to using every tool available to fighting the opioid epidemic and helping Mainers with substance abuse disorder recover. We can’t let LePage return to office and once again block life-saving treatments for vulnerable Mainers.”
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