Maine Governor Janet Mills’ (D) Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) has granted $15,000 to a Portland-based consultant to coordinate a study of the potential effectiveness of “harm reduction health centers,” also known as safe drug consumption or injection sites.
In July of last year, Gov. Mills signed LD 1364 into law, a resolution which directed GOPIF to “convene a working group to study methods of preventing opioid overdose deaths by authorizing harm reduction health centers.”
[RELATED: Maine Will Study Effectiveness of “Safe Consumption Sites” as a Potential Fix For Opioid Epidemic…]
The bill as originally introduced would have authorized municipalities to open the so-called “harm reduction health centers” as facilities where individuals could go to use previously obtained controlled substances without fear of arrest.
That version of LD 1364 was rejected by the Maine Senate, and the bill was replaced by a resolution to instead convene a working group to “evaluate options for, identify barriers to and develop findings and recommendations regarding the prevention of opioid overdose deaths by authorizing harm reduction health centers in the State.”
The State Legislature appropriated $15,000 to fund the study, which became available on July 1, 2023.
According to a Procurement Justification Form (PJF) published by the Mills administration on Sept. 6, GOPIF will direct the $15,000 to Carol Kelly, managing director of Pivot Point, Inc., to facilitate the working group’s study into the harm reduction health centers.
[RELATED: City of Portland May Use Opioid Settlement Funds to ‘buyback’ Used Syringes…]
Kelly’s role in the working group, according to the Mills administration, will be to conduct interviews, engage stakeholders, coordinate research, facilitate monthly meetings, synthesize the meeting notes and assist in drafting the group’s final report.
Kelly previously served as a lead consultant and writer of Gov. Mills’ Maine Opioid Response Strategic Action Plan.
According to the most recent data from the University of Maine’s Drug Data Hub, there were a total of 302 overdose deaths and 4,980 nonfatal overdoses in Maine from January through July of 2024 — a more than 10 percent decrease in both fatal and nonfatal overdoses from the same period last year.
That said, the data shows that the number of fatal overdoses in the state remain significantly higher than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The working group’s report to the legislature is due on Feb. 15, 2025, and will include findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation for the 132nd Legislature.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="30779 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=30779">13 Comments
You’ll never solve this problem with useless bureaucrats and even more useless proposals.
The first supervised ‘safe’ injection site in North America was the Insite location in Vancouver. According to the Solicitor General, overdose deaths in Vancouver now surpass natural deaths, accidental deaths, suicides and homicides combined by a great margin.
‘Safe’ injection sites are a dangerous lie.
Yes, gather all them together, bury the dead, and arrest the survivors
Under communist control our state is being turned into an “alt universe”. It is like Alice stepping through the looking glass. There is nothing so ridiculous and so wrong that the commies won’t throw money at it. Potland is starting to look like Amsterdam.
And for this, our property taxes jumped by 45%. (eyeroll)
You have to first shut down the supply of drugs and realize our ermines are the suppliers. Put the money toward cleaning out the growers in the woods of Maine.
I guess Mills & co are total ignoramuses when it comes to history and/or looking at places this has been tried.
It will result in more deaths and overdoses and make drug abuse easier.
The only thing it will help is that ambulances will already know where to go on calls.
If the druggies’ OD death rate continues its geometric rate of increse, the problem may become self-limiting. It must be cheaper to bury them than to treat them.
can the people of Maine show their stupidity any more? Mainers must really want their state to turn into a sh!tty place to live!!
LOL! Oh, this is classic. “Safe Consumption Sites” is as much of an oxymoron as Mills is a moron for even considering this scam of Maine taxpayers. Just another useless committee who’s real intention is to kill off as many ‘useless eaters’ in our country as possible and pocket the money. What’s your cut, Janet? I guess mandating the experimental ‘jabs’ on everyone in the state wasn’t enough death and destruction to ‘finish the job’ for you?
They’ve had this money from the opioid lawsuit for quite some time now. Over the Summer the meetings on how to use it have been postponed several times. Guess people were on vacation and the opioid deaths weren’t really mounting up as much as before so it could wait. And now the report won’t be available for another five months or so, as if the report is going to really have any good recommendations anyway. Their solution is to allow addicts to destroy themselves in a safe/safer place? Are they just culling society?
How deranged or just downright hateful do you have to be to believe that giving those struggling with addiction a “safe place” to feed their addiction is in anyway going to help them do the one they must to survive, stop using drugs.
“Enabling isn’t supporting. Enabling behaviors ultimately perpetuate the problem by protecting or safeguarding a person against experiencing the full consequences of their actions. Supporting someone empowers the person to take active steps in their recovery.”