ASAM and NNESAM Call for Maine Legislature to Overturn Governor LePage’s Veto and Increase Access to Naloxone

Chevy Chase, MD, April 25, 2016 – The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the Norther New England Society of Addiction Medicine (NNESAM) are calling for the Maine legislature to overturn Governor LePage’s veto of LD1547, “An Act to Facilitate Access to Naloxone Hydrochloride.” Governor LePage explained the reason behind his veto, stating “naloxone does not truly save lives, it merely extends them until the next overdose.”

Contrary to the Governor’s objections, expanding access to naloxone in Maine will most certainly save lives. Naloxone is a fast-acting, inexpensive, non-addictive medication. It reverses the respiratory arrest that kills overdose patients. It can be administered by trained lay individuals in the case of observed overdose, much as AEDs can be used to save lives in cardiac arrests in the community. Allowing pharmacists to dispense naloxone without a prescription to individuals at risk of experiencing an opioid overdose or to a friend or family member of someone at risk, as LD1547 would do, would increase access to a life-saving medication and increase opportunities for people with addiction to enter treatment and recovery.

LD1547 has received widespread support from law enforcement and health professional groups alike throughout its unanimous passage out of the state legislature. ASAM and NNESAM add our voices to that chorus of support and urge the legislature to overturn Governor LePage’s veto so that the bill may become law. At a time when Maine is experiencing an epidemic of opioid addiction and overdose deaths, it is crucial that we use every tool at our disposal to keep people alive so that they have the chance to pursue rewarding lives.