Along with harsh penalties to halt the flow of drugs, he also unveils initiatives to battle overdoses, which kill Mainers at the rate of more than one a day.
opioid epidemic
Posted inNation & World
Rhode Island doctor sentenced to more than 4 years in opioid kickback scheme
The doctor apologizes in court for taking money for prescribing a highly addictive fentanyl spray.
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Posted inMaine
Press Herald story on addiction in Maine’s lobster industry earns national award
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.
Posted inMaine, News
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.
Posted inNews
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.
Posted inNew England, News
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.
Posted inMaine, News
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.
Posted inMaine
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.
Posted inMaine, News, Politics
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.
Posted inNation & World, News
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.