AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine already allows first responders, law enforcement and family members to administer the drug naloxone to people in immediate danger of drug overdose. Lawmakers are now considering a proposal that would make the potentially lifesaving drug available more broadly. But it's likely to run into opposition from Gov. Paul LePage.
Naloxone is often administered as a nasal mist that works to quickly counteract an overdose of opiates like heroin and oxycontin. Democratic Sen. Geoff Gratwick, of Bangor, who is also a physician, says the year-old legislation that allowed naloxone has been successful in saving lives, but should be expanded to allow friends of addicts and others to provide the overdose antidote.
"The importance of this," Gratwick told fellow lawmakers, "is that you realize that if you don’t have brain oxygen for two minutes, you can hold your breath. Three minutes - iffy. Five minutes, life is not good. More than that - yah, you need this quick. You need it very rapidly. That is why you want to have it more available."
Law enforcement, family members and medical professionals all testified in support of expanding the availability of the drug. One form of naloxone, Narcan, has been carried by members of the Portland Fire Department since 2002. Its use has grown in the department to 93 cases in 2013.
Peter Michaud of the Maine Medical Association says the medical community strongly supports the expanding the access to naloxone. "In order to be the most effective, naloxone needs to be readily accessible to those likely to experience an overdose at the time they experience the overdose. They need it right then and right there, and that is why we need to distribute it more widely."
While no one opposed the bills at the public hearing, Gov. LePage vetoed the first attempt at expanding access to naloxone last year. That veto was upheld. But he later relented and did let a measure become law without his signature that allowed family members to administer the drug.
But he was not supportive of broader availability, arguing that easy access to an anti-overdose drug would make them feel that they had a safety net, and therefore would be more likely to continue to use opiates.
"I just don’t think it's appropriate with liability issues to just open it up and say, 'Be a drug addict and we will allow you - we will have everybody on the street have a little pin so that if you croak we will inject you,' " LePage said.
LePage’s spokeswoman, Adrienne Bennett, says there will not be a statement on the current legislation until it reaches the governor’s desk, if it gets that far. The bill now will be considered by the Health and Human Services Committee before it goes to the full Legislature for its consideration.
