BANGOR – Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and John Sununu of New Hampshire will be participating in a public hearing today to look at the growing problem of prescription drug abuse and increase in related deaths, particularly in rural areas.

The hearing, “Legal Drugs, Illegal Purposes: The Escalating Abuse of Prescription Medications,” will begin at 10 a.m. in the City Council chambers. Collins is chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, which has oversight of the federal agencies responsible for the regulation of prescription drugs.