The Society of American Business Editors and Writers honored “Trapped by Heroin” for revealing the devastating impact of opioids on the state’s signature way of life.
opioid epidemic
Maine emergency department visits for opioid overdoses jumped 34 percent in 2017
The increase, reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, contrasts with declining visits in several other New England states.
Justice Department says it will target opioid makers
The move is part of a broader effort to more aggressively target prescription drugmakers for their role in the epidemic, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said.
Massachusetts officials skeptical of safe injection sites
They spoke at a forum in Boston that is part of The Washington Post’s ‘Addiction in America’ public discussion series.
Drug overdoses killed a record 418 people in Maine last year
The number has doubled in just 3 years as Gov. LePage and other state leaders continue a pattern of slow response to the crisis.
Bill would remove veterinarians from Maine opioid monitoring law
The bill would no longer require veterinarians to look up the prescription history of the pet owner before prescribing an opioid for an animal.
After a year, LePage program to treat opioid addicts falling far short of target
The $4.8 million program has been stifled by bureaucracy, according to a group representing treatment providers.
Opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts fell by 8 percent during 2017
A law passed last year created new rules for prescribing the drugs and made a new prescription monitoring program.
Bill Nemitz: LePage should put people who overdose before politics
Maine’s bullheaded governor insists that naloxone, rather than saving lives, only delays inevitable deaths.
LePage says long-delayed opioid antidote rules don’t need his OK
He appears to be letting the sales guidelines sent to him in August move forward, even though he opposes giving 18-year-olds access to lifesaving naloxone.