© 2024 Maine Public

Bangor Studio/Membership Department
63 Texas Ave.
Bangor, ME 04401

Lewiston Studio
1450 Lisbon St.
Lewiston, ME 04240

Portland Studio
323 Marginal Way
Portland, ME 04101

Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Sessions Traveling To Maine Friday To Discuss Opioid Crisis

Gerald Herbert
/
Associated Press
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at the National Sheriffs' Association convention in New Orleans, Monday, June 18, 2018.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is going to discuss the opioid and fentanyl crisis in Maine.

The Portland Press Herald reports that Sessions will deliver his remarks in Portland at the U.S. attorney's office on Friday, a day after attending a similar event in New Hampshire.

Sessions unveiled a task force in February to address the drug crisis. Its first action was to lend support to local officials in lawsuits against manufacturers and distributors of powerful opioid painkillers that are fueling the nation's drug abuse crisis.

Maine saw 376 total overdose deaths in 2016, or more than one per day. That's up from 272 in 2015. Full data isn't available yet for 2017.