Maine Opioid Task Force Unveils Report
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine's task force studying the opioid crisis wants the state to immediately increase access to substance abuse treatment and focus on children, the uninsured and incarcerated individuals.
The task force, in its report released Tuesday, said the state has been focusing on curtailing over-prescribing of prescription opioids.
Law enforcement officials say 185 Mainers died of a drug overdose in the first six months of this year. Last year, the total number of deaths was 376.
In 2016, the Maine Opiate Collaborative issued nearly 40 recommendations including expanding drug treatment courts, allowing prescriptions of a generic medication to treat opioid dependency under MaineCare, and enhancing drug prevention programs.
A 2015 report found about one in four primary treatment admissions were related to heroin in 2014, up from seven percent in 2010.