URGENT: Shifting the Narrative... Further!! - ACT NOW!

[Maine Harm Reduction Alliance]

Hello fellow Harm Reductionists! Please share widely!

I have good news and some bad news.

The Good News: Yesterday Maine's Health and Human Services Committee voted overwhelmingly to recommend passage of LD 1686, our overdose prevention bill that would expand access to naloxone, a medicine that helps counteract an opioid overdose long enough for the victim to seek treatment.

The Bad News: Unfortunately this vote was split along party lines. The Democrats supported a slight alteration of the original bill. The Republicans supported a weaker version that would only provide for first responders to possess and administer naloxone. While a unanimous vote is not necessary to pass the bill, it is helpful to avoid a likely veto from the Governor.

What does this mean for us?? It means we have more work to do! To pass LD 1686 we'll need to make sure that its veto-proof. This means we need to be talking across the aisles, encouraging both parties to see beyond partisan blinders and recognize this for what it is, a bill that will help save the lives of hundreds of Maine citizens.

How can you help??

• The Bangor Daily News released a poll this morning asking Mainer's how they feel about expanding access to Naloxone. Let's show the Legislature that Mainers support this bill! Follow this link to the article and take the poll: http://bangordailynews.com/2014/02/24/health/maine-lawmakers-give-initial-approval-to-wider-use-of-overdose-halting-drug/
• Help shore up Legislative support for the bill! Find your legislators. Click this link to find out who your State Representatives are. Next, Follow this link for a list of State Senators. Then pick up the phone or shoot off an email. Tell your legislators:

"Please support LD 1686. With 170 or more deaths per year due to drug overdoses Maine cannot afford not to expand access to naloxone. This life-saving medication can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose long enough or the victim to seek medical attention. It cannot be abused, it has no street value and is incredibly safe. It is NOT ENOUGH for police, fire departments and paramedics to carry naloxone. To truly impact this issue we need to make sure that this life-saving medicine is in the right place at the right time. That means it is in the hands of the parents, family, and friends of people who are at risk of an overdose. For many victims the difference between life and death is mere minutes. and in many rural parts of the state first responders cannot make it in time to reverse an overdose. Research shows that most adults can administer naloxone with minimal education. On behalf of the mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children that have lost so many people to this epidemic - please support this bill, please support expanding access to naloxone to family members and others who might be in the right place at the right time."

• Next, contact the Governor's office and tell him the same thing!!! Contact the Governor's office by following this link: http://www.maine.gov/governor/lepage/citizen_services/ideas-suggestions.shtml
• Lastly, share this email!!! And email me at me...@downeastaidsnetwork.org to tell me how it went.
  

Beyond the limited success of yesterday's Health and Human Services Committee meeting, we have made huge strides in moving this bill forward. Together we have successfully shifted the narrative from 'Should we do something about the dramatic increase in overdose deaths?' to 'What should we do about the increase overdose deaths?'. While seemingly small this shift is monumental. There WILL be something passed this session. The critical part is making sure it is as strong as possible.