[Pharmwaste] Fwd: Maine Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force Established

Mon Feb 6 18:37:01 EST 2012

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From: Maine.gov <maine at subscriptions.maine.gov>
Date: Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 4:34 PM
Subject: Maine Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force Established
To: gressitt at uninets.net

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Maine Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force
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02/06/2012 04:30 PM EST

AUGUSTA - Attorney General William J. Schneider and Governor Paul R. LePage
announced last week that a Task Force has been formed to combat the
prescription drug abuse problem in Maine.

Governor LePage signed an executive order Wednesday, February 1
establishing the Maine Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force. The formation of
the Task Force follows the Prescription Drug Abuse Summit hosted by
Attorney General Schneider in October.

"Decision makers in the fields of prevention and intervention, treatment
and recovery, education, enforcement and public policy came together at the
Summit to develop an action plan for Maine," said Attorney General
Schneider. "This is a complex problem and the experts at the Summit
considered many solutions, finally targeting the measures that are most
likely to make a difference. I am encouraged by the level of commitment of
people across the state and look forward to the leadership that the Task
Force will bring on this issue."

The executive order describes the alarming public health and safety effects
of prescription drug misuse, abuse and diversion and highlights the
challenge of balancing prevention, education and enforcement with the need
for legitimate access.

"Prescription drug use is the Nation's fastest-growing drug problem and
Maine is experiencing increasing and alarming rates of prescription drug
abuse," said the Governor. "This reality demands action, but any policy
response must be approached responsibly. I hope members of this Task Force
will be able to address this issue and start to find solutions on how slow
down this major drug problem in a meaningful and effective way."

The 17-member Task Force will address four action items identified by
statewide stakeholders at the Summit:

1. Develop a long-term controlled substance disposal program. 2. Implement
a statewide Diversion Alert Program that provides prescribers with drug
crime information from local law enforcement to assist in determining
whether patients are legitimately in need of controlled substance
prescriptions. 3. Develop an evidence-based public education campaign for
both community education and prescriber training. 4. Review the
Prescription Monitoring Program and recommend improvements to maximize its
use and effectiveness.

The members of the Task Force will report every six months to the Governor,
the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Public Safety, the Commissioner
of Environmental Protection and the Legislature.

Members include: Joe Bruno R.Ph., M.B.A., President and CEO, Community
Pharmacies, LP

Dr. Stevan Gressit, Founding Director, International Institute for
Pharmaceutical Safety

William Savage, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General

Greg Couture, Assistant to the Commissioner, Maine Department of Public
Safety

Pattie Aho, Commissioner, Maine Department of Environmental Protection

Darrell Crandell, Commander, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency

Natalie Morse, Prevention Center Director, Maine General Medical Center

Susan Morissette, State Representative

Dr. Denise Theriault, Southern Maine Periodontal Associates

Lauri Sidelko, Director, Alcohol and Drug Education Programs

Jayne Harper, Drug Overdose Prevention Educator, MaineGeneral Prevention
Center

Gordon Smith, Executive Vice President, Maine Medical Association

Melissia Petro, Regional Director, State Government & Legislative Affairs
Purdue Pharma

Neill Miner, Project Director, Southern Kennebec Alliance for Substance
Abuse Prevention

Roy McKinney, Director, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency

Brenda Kielty, Special Assistant to the Attorney General, Maine Office of
the Attorney General

Patricia Lapera, Project Coordinator, Prescription Monitoring Program
Office of Substance Abuse

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-- 
Stevan Gressitt, M.D.
Faculty Associate, University of Maine Center on Aging
Academic Member, Athens Institute for Education and Research
Athens, Greece
Founding Director, International Institute for Pharmaceutical Safety
University of New England, College of Pharmacy
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine
314 Clark Road
Unity, Maine, 04988
gressitt at gmail.com
Cell: 207-441-0291
www.benzos.une.edu
www.safemeddisposal.com
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