Maine overdose response praised Agency concludes reforms appropriate

PORTLAND – A federal agency has given Maine high marks in how it responded to last year’s sharp increase in methadone-related drug deaths.

The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment conducted the assessment at the request of the state Office of Substance Abuse, which wanted to determine whether the state responded appropriately to the spike in accidental overdose deaths.

The study concluded that Maine officials responded by educating medical providers, addicts and the public; collecting data on the problem; increasing oversight and monitoring of clinics; and establishing a network of groups to address the problem.

The Office of Substance Abuse “has led a campaign that appears to be a model strategy for responding to a public crisis and mobilizing partners in crafting a plan for response,” the report said.

The assessment also concluded that Maine’s four methadone clinics were conducting themselves appropriately. If anything, Maine needs more clinics so people addicted to opiates don’t have to drive long distances for treatment or be put on a waiting list at a clinic, the study said.

“They gave basically a good report for the programs. There were no big red flags we have to be concerned about, except for the issue that there’s not enough” treatment, said Kim Johnson, director of the Office of Substance Abuse.

Portland Police Chief Michael Chitwood said the review ignores the fact that patients who take medicine home to alleviate withdrawal cravings continue to give it to people for whom it is not prescribed and for whom it can be fatal.

“I don’t know what standards the feds have, but they must be low, in my opinion, to give [the state] high ratings,” Chitwood said. “I think what has happened since all those deaths and all the publicity is the clinics have tightened up their take-home policies, but the problem still exists. It’s not being diverted as much as it was, but it still exists.”

Methadone, a synthetic narcotic, is widely used to help addicts control their dependence on drugs such as heroin, morphine or OxyContin.

But law enforcement officials say methadone in recent years has been a leading cause of fatal drug overdoses in Maine. About 26 percent of last year’s 126 overdose deaths involved methadone.

State figures show that for the first six months of this year, there were 46 accidental drug overdoses, 14 of which were related to methadone.