We have the opportunity to make history and save lives in Maine.

L.D. 1975: An Act to Implement a Statewide Public Health Response to Substance Use and Amend the Laws Governing Scheduled Drugs, a bill before the Health and Human Services Committee of the Maine Legislature, is a critical step in responding to the overdose death crisis. L.D. 1975 will create new pathways to recovery by funding receiving centers in every county to respond to people in crisis because of mental health and substance use issues, and will decriminalize simple possession of scheduled drugs.

At the Maine Drug Policy Lab at Colby College, we conduct research on the impact of drug policies in local communities, and challenges around the state for accessing recovery. We have heard over and over again the critical role of finding community support as people seek and maintain recovery. And we have heard the tragic stories of lost years and damaged relationships when people could not find the support they needed because of arrest and incarceration, resulting in escalated problematic substance use and even overdose death.

We have been wasting money on failed policies for more than five decades. It is time for a change. It is time to listen to medical professionals and people in recovery who tell us what people in our communities need. We need to focus on spending that works: funding public health infrastructure, receiving centers, and recovery support.

During the public hearing for this bill, we heard hours of emotional and evidence-based testimony explaining why this bill is so important. Republican and Democratic legislators told personal stories of the devastating costs of criminalization and lack of sufficient services for their loved ones experiencing substance use disorder. These stories of children, fathers, partners — and their own histories and scars — left everyone in the room in tears.

There is another way. We have a clear consensus around the need for a public health approach to address the needs of people with substance use disorder. Law enforcement, prosecutors, the governor all say: We cannot arrest our way out of this. It is time to make ensure our policies support a public health approach.

Decriminalization is the foundation of a public health approach. Decriminalization is required to eliminate stigma against people with substance use disorder. Having a criminal record allows discrimination against people who use drugs and people with substance use disorder, resulting in the loss of housing, financial support, and educational opportunities.

Research demonstrates that that incarceration accelerates overdose death. A 2020 study finds that drug overdose is the leading cause of death after release from prison. Within the first two weeks after release, the risk of death from drug overdose is 12.7 times higher than the general population, with risk significantly higher for women. Another 2020 study found that just being arrested increases the risk of overdose death.

People in Maine struggling with chaotic substance use deserve access to services no matter where they live. This bill is one piece of this solution by creating 24-hour receiving centers to connect people with what they need in every county. Police, prosecutors and probation officers should not be making decisions about health care. They don’t have the training, and they don’t have access to medical records. Jails will not help people. Desperately needed receiving centers, recovery housing, health care will help everyone in our communities.

It’s time to invest in our communities and processes that work.