With the increasing toll heroin is taking on Maine, conversations about reducing drug addiction are welcome — as long as they include the full range of ways to address the problem.
On one hand, it is encouraging that Gov. Paul LePage wants to convene a wide-ranging group to discuss the state’s drug epidemic. However, on the same day he announced the summit, LePage wrote a letter to legislative leaders criticizing them for not providing more funding for drug enforcement agents. (Lawmakers approved funding for additional Maine Drug Enforcement Agency agents and judges, but not as much as LePage had proposed.)
In response to the governor’s letter, Republican Senate President Michael Thibodeau stressed a comprehensive approach that includes law enforcement and treatment and asked that members of the Senate be invited to the summit. In a separate letter, Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves emphasized the need for more treatment options and criticized the LePage administration’s cuts to MaineCare. LePage wrote back to both men, inviting Senate Republicans to the summit and telling Eves he was wrong.
With Maine setting records each year for the number of people dying because of drugs, this issue is too important to be wrapped up in political sniping. Last year, 208 people in Maine died of drug overdoses. Deaths attributed to heroin rose to 57 in 2014 from 34 the year before.
Hiring more law enforcement personnel and prosecutors to stem the supply may be part of the solution, but it is far from the only thing Maine must do. It isn’t even all the MDEA wants.
At the request of the agency, Sen. David Burns, R-Whiting, submitted legislation to outlaw acetylfentanyl and methylfentanyl in Maine. These drugs are being mixed with heroin, making it 50 times more potent.
LePage attempted to veto the bill, criticizing lawmakers for “tinkering with our laws that deal with illegal drugs while more and more of our citizens are being destroyed because we do not have the appropriate resources to enforce the laws on the books.
“The Legislature needs to prioritize the funding of new MDEA agents,” he wrote in his veto message.
But the bill was one of the 65 wrapped up in LePage’s veto failure, and the measure is now law.
As LePage prepares his drug summit (which will be closed to the public), confusion reigns about funding and programs available for those recovering from addiction in Maine. In recent days, the LePage administration has touted its financial support for drug addiction counseling and treatment in an attempt to rebut the narrative that he champions law enforcement at treatment’s expense.
LePage referenced the funding in his July 29 radio address, saying the Maine Department of Health and Human Services “has money available for drug treatment, even for those who don’t have Medicaid or private insurance. In fact, we have hundreds of thousands of dollars left over every year in this program. We have the resources to help those who need it.”
But substance abuse advocates say they were never aware that such funds were available. Clearly, drug abuse treatment in Maine can’t be as effective and available as it needs to be if those providing the treatment aren’t made aware of the full range of available resources.
“This would be wonderful news if I actually knew of it and could have access to it,” said Brent Miller, program director at Discovery House in Bangor, an addiction treatment center.
Plenty of patients would benefit from the funding, he said. “Almost on a weekly basis individuals are dropping out because they lost MaineCare or their financial situation has changed so that they can no longer afford it.”
Meanwhile, the LePage administration has opted not to pursue another source of federal funds to pay for improved and expanded treatment for abusers of opioid drugs, such as heroin. And the governor continues to deny that cuts to Medicaid championed by his administration — in addition to his repeated refusal to expand Medicaid — have forced low-income people to stop treatments they can’t afford.
Pulling together people who work on all aspects of drug addiction is a great idea; in fact, it should happen on a regular basis. But, it will only be successful if it’s an honest conversation in which all perspectives are respected and considered.
