Leaders from across the political spectrum are taking the state’s drug epidemic more seriously than ever before, and rightfully so. According to Maine Attorney General Janet Mills, more than five deaths per week in our state are attributable to heroin and other opioids.
Counties and municipalities are stretched beyond their breaking points. Consider this: According to Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton, the Penobscot County jail is built to hold 157 inmates but as recently as December was responsible for 290. All low-level offenders have been released. Calls for service to the Bangor Fire Department are up 41 percent since 2009, a jump that is largely attributable to the challenges of substance abuse and inadequate mental health care and housing.
[For more of this story, written by Ben Sprague, go to https://bangordailynews.com/20...ngor-areas-approach/]
Comments (0)