~ What are your thoughts? Maine has one of the highest rates of - TopicsExpress

~ What are your thoughts? Maine has one of the highest rates of prescription painkiller addiction in the country. When these pills become too expensive, or too hard to come by, addicts often move on to heroin - which is cheaper and plentiful in this area. No one is immune. We are seeing high school students addicted, high paid professionals, parents, and homeless. Even here in Scarborough we are responding to overdoses. It has flooded the drug marketplace in Maine. You dont have too look hard to find a family affected by opioid addiction. What do you see as a way to help combat this public health crisis? Do we need more education with younger students, more access to drug treatment, stricter penalties, or something else? Please share your thoughts, but keep it appropriate. If you are in recovery or know someone who is, your opinions are also important. For this reason, Im asking that no one pass judgement and allow everyone to share freely. This can be a difficult topic for some, but certainly very important to be able to discuss.