AUGUSTA — Maine Gov. Paul LePage is dismissing a pledge by governors to combat the opioid crisis as a “feel-good measure.”
The governors of 47 states and territories signed on to the Compact to Fight Opioid Addiction committing to fight the epidemic, which is fueled by the overprescribing of prescription pain relievers.
Peter Steele, Lepage’s communications director, told the Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/29yEaRO ) that the Republican governor rejected the compact “as a feel-good measure being promoted by politicians in an election year.”
He said it failed to include a law enforcement component and encouraged expanded use of naloxone, something the governor opposes.
Last year, a record 272 people died in Maine from overdoses from opioids including heroin and fentanyl.
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