AUGUSTA – The Maine House of Representatives today voted 147-0 in favor of a bill that would make the life-saving drug naloxone more readily available. Naloxone can reverse an overdose for people who have toxic levels of opiates in their system. LD 1686 would allow first responders and family members of those most in danger of overdose to access naloxone.
The following can be attributed to Grainne Dunne, justice organizer for the ACLU of Maine:
“Today Maine legislators recognized that if we want to reduce overdose deaths and save lives, we need a new approach that isn’t all about arresting people. This is an important step toward recognizing drug abuse as the public health issue that it is.”
