Commentary: We need systemic change to address prescription misuse in Maine
Cleaning out the medicine cabinet for Drug Take Back Day on Saturday will help prevent unintended poisoning and medication diversion.
By Janet DossevaSpecial to the Press Herald
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Drug overdoses have hit record highs during this pandemic. Access to prescription medications – particularly opioids – is partly to blame and community-wide efforts are critical to decreasing supply. But the causes and solutions concerning addiction are complex, as noted in a recent article about rethinking Maine’s approach to the opioid crisis.
In Westbrook, we are taking a community-wide approach to the problem and working together across sectors to reduce access and decrease the likelihood prescriptions will be misused. This includes collaboration between the Westbrook Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency to conduct two National Drug Take Back Days each year; the next one will be held from 10 a.m. to