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Maine Bill Targets Illegal Sales of Opiod Addiction Drug

AUGUSTA, Maine - Legislative leaders have voted to allow consideration this session of a bill that would make it a criminal offense to illegally sell buprenorphine.  That's the generic name for Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction.

Senate President Mike Thibodeau says he was asked to submit the bill by Geoff Rushlau, the district attorney for Waldo County, after a conviction for trafficking the drug was stayed by the court because it is not specifically against the law.

"They were trafficking in this, so they're wanting to simply add this to the list of scheduled drugs that they can convict people for trafficking," he says.

The bill will have a public hearing in the next few weeks before the full Legislature considers the proposal.

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.