BREWER, Maine - The man in charge of national drug control policy, Michael Botticelli, will join Sen. Angus King in Maine on Tuesday for a roundtable discussion about ways the federal government can help confront the state's opioid epidemic.
The discussion, at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Brewer, will include prevention and treatment experts, people in recovery, families dealing with addiction, health care providers and law enforcement.
King says he wants the conversation with Botticelli to highlight suggestions that both Maine and Washington can use.
"I hope that we're going to learn something from him of what he's seeing around the country and how people similarly situated are coping with this problem," King says. "But also I think there are some messages that need to be delivered to Washington, in terms of how they can be most helpful in dealing with these problems - a lack of beds, a lack of treatment. So, I think it's going to be a two-way street."
King says the event was planned weeks ago, before Gov. Paul LePage announced he would convene a drug summit with a primary focus on law enforcement. That is also scheduled for next week. King says he thinks the two discussions will complement each other.
