May 04, 2022

Letter: A step forward with Good Samaritan law - Bangor Daily News

A lantern honors someone who died from an overdose.

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Maine will soon have one of the strongest Good Samaritan laws in our country. It will protect anyone who comes to the aid of someone who has overdosed on drugs from arrest or prosecution for any non-violent crime. Until now, companions at the scene have often been afraid to call 911. As a result, we have been losing more of our neighbors and loved ones to the epidemic of substance use disorder in Maine every year: about 12 people per week.

Now we need to go further to decriminalize possession of drugs for personal use and redirect our community’s resources to providing treatment for substance use disorder and other supports to make that treatment truly accessible. Beyond the life-threatening and life-ending consequences of this illness, tremendous harm is done to those who suffer from it, to their families, and to their children when they are arrested and incarcerated.

The system that treats them like criminals is making the overdose epidemic much worse. The war on drugs has failed because it doesn’t work. It just makes war on people who are broken, almost always because of childhood trauma that has never had a chance to heal.

I grew up shielded from that kind of harm in a privileged family that nonetheless struggled with hidden substance use disorder. Many Maine families are not so lucky. We need to keep following the science, be brave and make a profound change into compassion. That’s how we will save these precious lives.

Peg Hoffman

Lewiston



source: https://bangordailynews.com/2022/05/04/opinion/letters/letter-a-step-forward-with-good-samaritan-law/

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