For the past few years, Mainers have been forced to grapple with a worsening overdose epidemic that has taken more lives than heart disease and car accidents combined. The pain and fury that has accumulated as a result of this devastating loss has mobilized our community to work toward passing legislation that ensures money from opioid manufacturer settlements goes directly to harm reduction, decriminalizes possession of harm reduction supplies, and most recently, to create the strongest Good Samaritan law in the country.

Despite these hard fought victories, and the positive response they received from Maine writ large, some candidates throughout our state attempted to campaign on antiquated drug policies that would have only fueled preventable drug overdoses and exacerbated a crisis that took the lives of 621 Mainers in 2021.

Now more than ever, it’s time to retire rhetoric rooted in the dehumanization of people who use drugs and instead heed Mainers’ call for common sense, evidence-based policies that would help save lives and curb this crisis.

Every drug overdose death represents a policy failure and that failure is being recognized by Mainers from Bangor to Augusta. This year, every candidate that ran on inhumane drug policies lost their election.

Throughout the 2022 campaign, some tried to discredit sitting lawmakers by stoking division and inciting fear of increased rates of crime and drug use. Notably, this included backing a candidate for Gov. who previously vetoed proposals to expand access to Narcan, which can reverse the effects of an overdose and save lives. During the gubernatorial debate where Gov. Janet Mills touted her administration’s efforts to increase access to the life-saving drug, failed candidate and former Gov. Paul LePage said he believes “law enforcement is the right tool to deal with drug overdoses and addiction.” His decision put blood on his hands and in the year that followed Gov. Mills’ efforts to expand access, naloxone use went up over 30%.

Despite LePage’s unsupported assertions that law enforcement is best suited to responding to drug use, recent research from the University of Maine has demonstrated broad support for the opposite. In fact, across gender and party lines, coalition of support for drug policies that are rooted in diverting individuals struggling with substance use out of the criminal justice system and toward pathways to recovery. Over 70% of Maine voters demonstrated support for decriminalizing non-violent, low-level drug offenses and overwhelmingly supported policy approaches that would divert individuals out of the criminal justice system and into community-based programs and services.

Despite this clear indication of support, some candidates chose to fearmonger and shift blame to progressive policy for overdose deaths in a failed attempt to garner support.

The reality is that Mainers support robust investment in and the expansion of evidence-driven pathways to recovery — including policy measures that expand medically monitored withdrawal, facilitation of entry into treatment, and community support and services.

Lawmakers, regardless of party, have a moral obligation to both listen to their constituency and to take the common sense solutions that will save their constituency’s lives. And as Karyn Sporer and Robert Glover, associate professors at the University of Maine explain, “Maine’s unique ideological landscape, and the severity with which Mainers have been impacted by substance use, can be the basis for a bold set of reforms.”

For too often, Mainers have been ahead of the electorate and for too often, Mainers have been forced to reckon with a spiraling overdose crisis that has torn families and communities apart. Only until parties on both sides unite for common sense solutions, can we begin to curb this crisis and help save lives.

Courtney Gary-Allen is the organizing director for the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project and an at-large Augusta city councilor. Charlotte Warren is a former state representative from Hallowell and former chair of the criminal justice and public safety committee.