On Monday, the Maine ACLU and Maine Center for Economic Policy held a press conference, discussing a new report that recommends decriminalizing drug use and possession in the state.
“In addition to the very real toll that the war on drugs inflicts on Mainers’ physical and mental wellbeing, collectively we pay millions of dollars each year in financial costs,” James Myall, an economic policy analyst at MECEP, said. “Year over year, Maine has prioritized incarcerating and criminalizing people who use drugs over making treatment for drug use more available. Not only is this approach ineffective, but it’s extremely costly.”