Category Archives: prevention

These three things could ease the opiate epidemic right now

As was reported by the Bangor Daily News, a week ago the Maine Opiate Collaborative unveiled its final report on the recommendations it was making to fight the opiate crisis in Maine.  The Maine Opiate Collaborative consists of three task forces, law enforcement, treatment, and prevention, that were convened by U.S. Attorney Thomas Delahanty after […]

Maine passes addiction bill; what it means and what it doesn’t mean

In an inspiring display of unity, the Maine House and Senate both unanimously passed the $3.7 million addiction bill which was then quickly signed by Governor Paul Lepage. Within a couple of short hours, Maine had adopted a comprehensive, bi-partisan bill to address the increasingly dire addiction epidemic in Maine. One of the questions that remained […]

Maine’s new medical marijuana in schools law poses risks that must be addressed

As has been reported, the Auburn School Committee formally adopted a policy for implementing Maine’s new medical marijuana law for children in schools. The law that was passed in the 2015 sessions, allows for students who have medical marijuana certifications, to have the drug administered by a parent or primary caregiver on school property. It specifically does […]

Supporting families to prevent substance abuse

Despite what the lack of snow and downright balmy temperatures would tell us, Christmas is indeed coming up this week.  My house is abuzz with excitement amongst my family including my three children.  A couple of weeks ago, as is tradition, we picked out the tree and put up the ornaments.  With a daughter approaching […]

How marijuana legalization could sink new plan to tackle Maine’s drug abuse crisis

Republican and Democrat leaders today unveiled their $4.8 Million plan to address the substance abuse epidemic facing the state of Maine.  It is a comprehensive plan that provides additional resources and supports for law enforcement, treatment, prevention, and recovery services.  It includes funding for the 10 new Maine DEA Agents Governor LePage has been requesting […]

The case for universal prevention as a solution to the heroin crisis

This article was inspired, in part, by a recent presentation by the great Dr. Dennis Embry at the recent 2015 National Prevention Network Conference. As you might imagine, working in the field of substance abuse, I have been a part of a few discussions with colleagues about this heroin/opiate crisis our state faces.  In a […]

Behavioral health career fair has special focus on recruiting persons in recovery

Last month I published an article talking about how moving to a recovery-oriented approach to substance abuse can also be a form of economic development.  In particular, I posited that employers implementing hiring programs for people in recovery would be one such strategy.  A growing field that could greatly benefit from recruiting new, young energy […]

Bill proposal to eliminate Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey must not go forward

Earlier this month, the Maine Legislative Information Office released the list of bill titles the Legislative Council will be considering for the upcoming short session.  In all, there are 38 pages of bill proposals.  This is a big event in my world as a substance abuse prevention professional, as without fail, there are always many […]

How a recovery-oriented approach to substance abuse means economic development for Maine

Last week I posted this article talking about how moving to a recovery-oriented approach to substance abuse can also be a form of economic development.  In particular, I posit that employers implementing hiring programs for people in recovery would be one such strategy.  Lo and behold, there are indeed companies out there starting to do […]

HHS finds marijuana use up 12%, perception of harm down

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services found that marijuana use among all Americans 12 and over – especially those over 26 – significantly increased in 2014 compared to 2013. The number of 16 and 17 year-olds using marijuana in the past month also increased, (14.2% versus 15.0%). “We should not be surprised […]