BREWER, ME – During a roundtable discussion today in Brewer with National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) called on the federal government to expand its effort to combat the wave of opioid abuse in Maine and help individuals and communities who are struggling with the challenges associated with drug addiction.

Senator King partnered with Director Botticelli to convene today’s roundtable, entitled “Opioid Abuse in Maine: Federal response to a public health and safety crisis”, at Eastern Maine Health Systems (EMHS) in Brewer. The discussion focused on how to build on current federal policies to better address the threat that opioid abuse poses to personal and public health and safety. It brought together prevention and treatment experts from around the state, people in recovery, families affected by addiction, health care providers, law enforcement officials, first responders, and local leaders. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree also attended as well as representatives for Senator Susan Collins and Congressman Bruce Poliquin.

“Opioid abuse has devastated too many lives, torn apart too many families, and imperiled too many communities in our state,” Senator King said. “Today’s discussion was a troubling assessment of that fact, but it was also a meaningful step forward to better understand how the federal government can expand its efforts to curb this terrible epidemic. It’s clear that more must be done to help those gripped by addiction and that it will take a robust, concerted, and coordinated effort. I will continue to partner with Director Botticelli, the Administration, and my colleagues in Congress, along with families, health care providers, and others to pursue solutions that will ensure increased access to the services and support necessary to combat the widespread opioid abuse and addiction that is robbing us of those we love and threatening the safety of our communities.”

The roundtable was the result of nearly a month of planning that began with a conversation between Senator King and Director Botticelli in late July of this year about the epidemic of opiate use and addiction in Maine and New England, a fact recently demonstrated by a tragic string of overdoses in the Portland area, including 14 in a single 24-hour period that led to the deaths of two people.

According to a 2014 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Maine has the nation’s highest rate of prescriptions for long-acting, extended-release opioid pain relievers and is ranked 11^th in its prescription rate for its high-dose opioid pain relievers. According to the Maine Attorney General’s office, the overall number of drug overdose deaths this year, which currently stands at 105, is on track to be similar to 2014, when 208 people died of overdoses – the worst year on record.

Prior to today’s roundtable, Senator King, along with a group of his colleagues, urged Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell to increase access to treatment for prescription drug addiction. Senator King is also a member of the Prescription Drug Abuse Caucus in the Senate.

As the head of National Drug Control Policy for the Obama Administration, Director Botticelli leads the administration’s drug policy efforts and coordinates actions across the federal government to reduce prescription drug abuse and heroin use. Last week, he announced $2.5 million in funding across 15 states, including Maine, to fund a Heroin Response Strategy to address the heroin threat facing communities through public health-public safety partnerships.

A list of the roundtable participants is available HERE.  

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