Battling drug abuse

For at least two years, Maine law-enforcement officials have been fighting – sometimes successfully, sometimes not – the rise in the illegal use of prescription painkillers. Though they continue to try increased oversight, education and enforcement, their efforts may not be enough. Two bills in the Legislature would add to the state’s ability to reduce this dangerous trend in drug abuse and deserve support from lawmakers.

Anecdotal evidence of the rise in violent crime connected with the need for opiates has increased exponentially since 1998. Stores robbed. Homes broken into. Pharmacies so concerned that they have stopped selling OxyContin, the most popular of the prescription painkillers. In an update on the situation in the recent Maine Sunday Telegram, former U.S. Attorney Jay McCloskey said, “Over the last 18 to 24 months, the level of prescription pain-pill abuse has risen dramatically to the point where I believe it is the greatest criminal problem and possibly the greatest social problem facing Maine.”

House Minority Leader Joe Bruno is the president of Community Pharmacies, a company whose staff in Raymond had the unfortunate experience of being held up for OxyContin. Rep. Bruno has proposed that the state keep a database on pain-killers, so that it can more easily spot fraud and stop people who go from doctor to doctor getting prescriptions and then pharmacy to pharmacy to build up a supply for sale. Given the abuse and crime now associated with these pills, such a data base is warranted and certainly is the preferred option to so strictly regulating these drugs that people with legitimate pain cannot get the relief they need.

A second proposal before lawmakers would increase by 12 the number of drug agents in eastern Maine. It is a necessary expense that could save lives and would restore the officers in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s pharmaceutical division, lost during the budget cuts of a decade ago. The problem with opiate abuse first surfaced in Washington County and continues to heavily affect that region. The smuggling of painkillers from Canada makes enforcement there even more difficult.

It isn’t all clear whether this form of drug abuse is cresting or will continue its dramatic rise. Maine can’t afford to wait around to find out. Increased treatment, increased education about the dangers of drug abuse and, through these bills, more resources for law-enforcement agencies are practical responses to a serious problem for Maine.