Political Quotes

“I rise to speak in support of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, known as CARA, of which I am proud to be a cosponsor. I want to begin by commending Senators Whitehouse and Portman for crafting this vitally important bill and also to thank Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Leahy for their leadership in the Judiciary Committee. The heroin and opioid crisis in this country is devastating to far too many families, including those in my State of Maine. This epidemic can be seen in emergency rooms, local jails, on Main Streets, and in homes throughout our country. In 2014, there were a record 208 overdose deaths in the State of Maine, including 57 caused by heroin, and the problem is only getting worse. Last year, in the city of Portland, ME, 14 people overdosed in just 1 day. Two of them died as a result of those overdoses. This last weekend, the Bangor Daily News had a special segment of the paper that chronicled the vivid and tragic story of a young man, Garrett Brown, whose spiral into addiction ultimately resulted in his death from a heroin overdose. This epidemic is also having tragic effects on the most vulnerable in our society--the children and babies born to addicts. Last year in Maine nearly 1,000 babies were born drug-affected. That is about 8 percent of all births in our State. I have seen the videos of these babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. They are inconsolable. It is so tragic to watch them.…”