By Evan Popp, Maine Morning Star
Last week, lawmakers and advocates launched a campaign to decriminalize small amounts of illicit drug possession and instead invest in treating substance abuse disorder. This push comes at a time when Maine is still grappling with a deadly epidemic of overdoses.
LD 75 was first introduced in the previous legislative session, but it has been carried forward to this year. The measure, if passed, would decriminalize personal possession of Schedule W, X, Y, and Z Drugs. This includes substances like methamphetamines, various opioids and cocaine.
Supporters of this bill claim that the reform is necessary because many Mainers who use these drugs suffer from substance abuse disorder. Advocates argue that criminalizing addiction will only push a person farther away from treatment. Maine should invest the money it spends on enforcing drug laws in the creation of a wide range of treatment options to help those who suffer from substance abuse disorders.
“We are aware that many Mainers with substance abuse disorders who want to get help, are not always able access treatment.” As a result of overdoses, our communities have been devastated.
LD 1975 will decriminalize the possession of schedule drugs by Mainers, but it will also provide them with enhanced treatment options. The bill would use money saved by the state from not arresting and incarcerating drug users to create the Substance Use, Health and Safety Fund at the Department of Health and Human Services. The fund would also get money from the taxes on cannabis products.
The funds would be used to create at least one crisis center in every county, which will provide 24/7 services to those who suffer from substance abuse disorder. These services may include screenings for treatment, health needs assessments and assistance in accessing treatment options.
DHHS will also provide grants through the fund to local community organizations in order to improve access to resources for recovery and substance abuse treatment. The money will support programs such as intensive case management, peer support, counseling, overdose prevention and increased access to sterile needles and naloxone.
The Health and Human Services Committee will take up LD 1975 at a hearing public on Wednesday. This comes as Mainers continue dying each year due to drug overdoses.
In 2022, 723 people died from overdoses, which is nearly two per day. This was a new grim record for the state. This number will likely drop in 2023, but it is still high. The state reported 559 deaths from drug overdoses last year, through November.
Crafts stated that “What…the State has been doing doesn’t work.” Crafts said that criminalizing drug use disorders and possession of drugs disrupts lives and makes it more difficult for people to lead healthy and productive lifestyles in their communities. We hope that LD 1975 will shift the focus from criminal justice to public health.
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Lucas Lanigan, a Republican from Sanford, spoke out in support of the bill at Tuesday’s event. Two other Republicans, including House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham from Winter Harbor and Rep. David Boyer from Poland, are also co-sponsoring the bill. This gives the legislation a bipartisan support.
Lanigan talked about his son who, he said, was celebrating 14 months of sobriety that night. This came after many overdoses as well as legal issues.
This bill is extremely important. He said that the bill was not just important for him and his family, but also for many families in Maine.
“We want it to be easier to recover. In this state, we don’t even have that,” said the governor.
Medical professionals also spoke out in favor of LD 1975. Lani Graham is a former Maine chief public health officer and family physician. She said that the measure will finally bring a public-health approach to addiction.
She compared the current criminalization of drug use with arresting an alcohol addict for possessing alcohol.
Graham noted that addiction treatment requires a lot of follow-up work with patients. She said that such support is often impossible if someone has been arrested and convicted of a felony, showing the dangers of criminalizing drug usage.
Chasity Tuell is the northern Maine director for harm reduction services of Maine Access Points. She agreed. Tuell, a substance abuser herself, believes that people need support and resources outside of prisons.
She said, “We all need hope for the future and a sense of purpose in our lives. We create these for ourselves.” “The criminal justice does not create them for us.”
While LD 75 is likely to be supported by advocates, medical professionals and the recovery community, its legislative future remains uncertain. A previous effort in 2021, to decriminalize the possession of schedule drugs in Maine, failed in the Senate due to opposition from Republicans as well as some Democrats.
Gov. Janet Mills is a Democrat who opposed the bill 2021. Mills has been sceptical of criminal justice reforms that go beyond the current system. She also opposed a measure last year which allowed municipalities to set up harm reduction health clinics. These are sites where people can administer drugs they have previously acquired under medical supervision to prevent overdoses.
Mills signed a version to study the use such centers. In 2022, Mills struck a deal on a measure that would strengthen Maine’s Good Samaritan Law. This law will provide enhanced protections for those who are at the scene of a drug overdose.
This article was originally published by Maine Morning Star.
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