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State working group briefs Portland committee on overdose-prevention center study; no immediate policy decision
Summary
Gordon Smith, director of opioid response for the governor's office, told Portland’s HHS & Public Safety Committee the legislature-funded working group will deliver an interim report Feb. 15 after studying U.S. and international overdose-prevention centers, identifying barriers and possible Maine-specific approaches; Smith emphasized federal legal risk and the governor’s current preference for treatment investments.
Gordon Smith, director of opioid response in the governor’s Office of Policy and Innovation, briefed the Portland Health & Human Services and Public Safety Committee on a state working group studying whether and how to authorize harm‑reduction or overdose‑prevention health centers in Maine.
Smith said the 15‑member working group — which includes people with lived experience, clinicians, public‑safety representatives and municipal officials — has met four times and is compiling international evidence, site visits and expert testimony. The legislature directed the group to "evaluate options, identify barriers, and develop findings and recommendations"…
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