The opioid and heroin crisis is a threat to the health and safety of our communities, and it’s shattering lives and tearing families apart. Of all the challenges I’ve seen facing Maine during my time in public office, this may be the most difficult. But if we work together to understand the epidemic, listen to the people fighting it every day, and dedicate resources to proven approaches to treatment, then there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Just recently, we had a rare bipartisan victory in Washington on the issue of tackling addiction. The President signed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) into law on July 22. And though this new law isn’t perfect, it provides a community-based response to the addiction crisis facing America and proves that both sides of the political aisle are ready and willing to take action on this pressing problem.
One of the promising reforms is a provision I supported that allows licensed nurse practitioners and physicians assistants to prescribe medicine that can help people buprenorphine (more commonly known as Suboxone).Study after study has shown that medication-assisted treatment can reduce drug use and overdose risk for people suffering from addiction.
Recently, I held a roundtable in Bangor with Maine nurse practitioners on the front lines of the heroin and opioid battle, and this can be another tool for them to treat addiction and save lives.
There is no question that the CARA law is a step forward in our fight against addiction. But despite the solid reforms it makes, it also fails to dedicate the funding necessary. To fix that, I’ve been pushing for Congress to pass additional emergency funding sooner rather than later.
This is a serious crisis as complex as it is heartbreaking. We can prevail, but it will a take a coordinated and comprehensive approach — and that is what is now coming together.
