Director's Corner
Director's Update
Kimberly A. Johnson, Director
What's New - Fall 2004
John P. Walters, director of the National Drug Control Policy, was the
keynote speaker at the Annual Meeting of the National Association of
State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors at the Eastland Park Hotel in
Portland this summer. As the nation’s “Drug Czar,” Mr.
Walters coordinates all aspects of federal drug programs and spending.
Walters told the audience that states must treat substance abuse like
a disease, expand access to treatment, and prevent its spread among young
people. He said the federal government will try to extend drug treatment
to the roughly 100,000 people nationally who do not have access now.
He mentioned that one way to do this is through the newly developed Access
To Recovery (ATR) federal grant program that would allow people with
drug dependency to get vouchers to pay for treatment. Under the program,
those needing treatment will receive a voucher from their health care
provider that allows them flexibility in choosing the drug treatment
program that suits their needs. Through the elective voucher system,
all effective drug treatment programs, including those that are faith-based,
will be eligible to receive Federal funds if the voucher holder opts
for their services. The grant program promotes individual choice for
substance abuse treatment and recovery services.
Walters said his office plans to launch an ad campaign in the coming
months to encourage peers and others to intervene if someone they know
is using drugs. He also expects success in the near future in cracking
down on Internet sales of drugs.
As of July 1, 2004, Maine became one of seventeen states to start tracking
drug purchases electronically for the purpose of improving community care
through a new Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). Given the extent of
Maine’s prescription drug abuse problem, the PMP will help prevent
and detect the diversion and abuse of pharmaceutical controlled substances
(prescribed drugs), particularly at the retail level where no other automated
information collection system exists.
With this program, pharmacists send reports to the State on prescriptions
they fill for certain scheduled drugs, such as oxycontin, morphine, and anti-anxiety
medications like valium. The information goes into a database that is programmed
to identify people who appear to be getting too many prescriptions for those
drugs. The program will also flag cases where people go to several doctors
and get prescriptions from multiple pharmacies. That information in turn is
shared with physicians. (Prescription monitoring information is confidential
and is not a public record.) The focus of the program is not law enforcement – it
is prevention and treatment of drug abuse.
Anticipated benefits of the PMP are:
• To help people with addiction problems get the treatment they need
• To cut back on crimes relating to prescription drugs and illicit use
• To help curb the tragedy of overdose deaths
Maine officials looked at similar programs in several other states when designing
the program and used a program in Kentucky as a model. The State started collecting
data in July. Pharmacists will submit information to them every two weeks,
and information will become available to physicians beginning in October.
Two OSA-funded Prevention programs will receive an Exemplary Award for Innovative
Programs at the National Prevention Network Research Conference to be held
in Kansas City, MO, in August. A Company of Girls, a theater-based, gender-specific
program in Portland, and The Aroostook Teen Leadership Camp in Aroostook County
participated in a rigorous application process and were among the five programs
chosen nationwide to receive this 2003 designation. The awards process is sponsored
by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention in collaboration with the National
Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, the National Prevention
Network, and Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.
Results are in and are being tabulated for the Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol
Use Survey (MYDAUS) for 2004. This year’s MYDAUS was administered to
75,165 students in 342 of Maine’s schools during the months of February
and March. The overall goal of the survey series is to identify patterns of
alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among middle and high school students
in Maine. Watch for survey results to be posted soon on the OSA website!
Join the Voices for Recovery…NOW!
During Recovery Month each September, communities nationwide join together
to recognize that alcohol and drug use disorders are treatable diseases. Research
shows that treatments for alcohol and drug use disorders are as effective as
treatments for other conditions – yet, nationally, only 10 percent of
Americans who need treatment for alcohol use disorders actually receive it.
The Recovery Month 2004 theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery…Now!” encourages
communities to take immediate action to improve local residents’ access
to recovery.
Recovery Month celebrates the successes of people in recovery and acknowledges
men and women in the treatment field who dedicate their lives to helping people
with alcohol and drug use disorders.
Continue to check the OSA website for a tribute to Maine’s Recovery
Community and the activities that are being scheduled for Recovery Month by
Maine’s Recovery Community, in conjunction with the Maine Alliance for
Addiction Recovery (MAAR) and the Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs
(MASAP).
Thank you for visiting our website. Please come back again soon for updated
information.
Previous Updates
What's New - Spring 2004
What's New - August 2003
What's New - January 2003
What's New - August 2002
