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Mills administration officials oppose bill to decriminalize drug possession
But people in recovery, medical providers, faith groups, legislators and advocates overwhelmingly support the proposal to make drug possession only a civil violation.
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People in recovery, medical providers, faith groups, legislators and advocates all testified Friday in favor of a bill that would make drug possession a civil violation instead of a crime.
But two top officials in the Mills administration opposed the measure even as they agreed that people with substance use disorder should be diverted from the criminal justice system.
“Do you believe what we’re doing is working?” Rep. Charlotte Warren, a Democrat from Hallowell, asked Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey.
Maine considers a new strategy in battle against opioid epidemic: decriminalization
Proposed legislation could make Maine the second state to stop arresting people for possessing small amounts of drugs such as opioids, and instead steer them toward treatment.
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Courtney Allen, policy director for Maine Recovery Advocacy Project, poses for a portrait recently outside the Maine State House in Augusta.
Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
“But heroin is not something you can just stop doing,” she said.
She was not able to stop for 12 years. She did sex work. She contracted HIV. She was often homeless. And she was arrested more than two dozen times, mostly for drug possession. The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram has agreed not to name her because she works with people who use drugs and is worried about putting them at risk.
Maine considers a new strategy in battle against opioid epidemic: decriminalization pressherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Maine police voice support but raise questions about racial data collection bill
The measure aims to provide data on traffic stops that would help to identify and prevent patterns of racial profiling.
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Police agencies from across Maine took largely neutral positions Thursday on a bill that would require them to collect demographic information on all traffic stops in an effort to identify and root out racial or biased-based profiling.
But several law enforcement members raised concerns about the feasibility of collecting accurate data.
Maine State Police Maj. Brian Scott and Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton were among several law enforcement officers offering testimony to the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.
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Police agencies from across Maine took largely neutral positions Thursday on a bill that would require them to collect demographic information on all traffic stops in an effort to identify and root out racial or biased-based profiling.
But several law enforcement members raised concerns about the feasibility of collecting accurate data.
Maine State Police Maj. Brian Scott and Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton were among several law enforcement officers offering testimony to the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.
Both Scott and Morton said their agencies support efforts to eliminate the profiling that has become increasingly apparent in Maine and across the nation in recent years.