In the most ironic, Orwellian Executive Order by Maine’s Governor Janet Mills, likely advocated by Mills aide and harm reduction advocate Hannah Pingree, now Democrat nominee for Governor – all restrictions for needle giveaways were lifted in March 2020 – BUT “social distancing” was required. This is like facilitating overdoses, while insisting you wash your hands first, missing the forest for the trees.
The number of fatal and non-fatal overdoses, deaths by overdose, Narcan uses, and the extraordinary number of bloody needles now found across Maine is stunning.
Walking in Portland, Lewiston, Waterville, and across Bangor – as well as in the quiet northern territories – you stumble on ones, twos, and piles of used needles.
The annual giveaway numbers exceed three million, no end in sight, no official records, no apology for the public hazard, no accountability for runaway numbers.
The safety hazard has become so big that Portland’s City Council warned parents not to let their children play near post offices, Bangor parks, and rail lines are covered in needles, and Auburn leadership wants clean-ups near giveaway sites.
Meantime, hardly a word has been uttered by the Mills team or Hannah Pingree, except for falling Narcan counts because that reversal agent for overdoses is no longer officially counted, just given away; thus, recorded overdoses are fewer.
The tragedy is that Maine has 8000 overdoses a year, 600 fatal annually, and no acknowledgement that the whole program is a failure. Missing is the effort by other states, such as South Dakota, which had only 65 fatal overdoses, to fix the problem.
The truth is that Maine’s relationship with the federal government is a mess. Missing are millions in resources from federal agencies like SAMHSA, ONDCP, OJP, OJJDP, DEA, ICE, and others who have direct or indirect ability to assist.
Why? Governor Janet Mills, former aide Hannah Pingree, and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows have a hate relationship with the White House. Is that fixable? Yes. But will it be fixed without Maine electing a Republican Governor? No.
Also missing are residential treatment facilities in numbers sufficient to match the rising tragedy, with it drug-related crime ranging from out-of-state trafficking to an epidemic in unreported crimes, shootings in cities, domestic abuse (thousands of incidents), deaths of children in state custody, and drug-related property and personal crime, a quiet crisis perpetuated by lack of oversight, underfunding of police, encouraging unvetted asylum seekers to come to Maine for “Sanctuary.”
Objectively, Maine has an addiction epidemic, 133,000 people over age 12 addicted, a few hundred residential treatment units, no prevention of note, harm reduction schemes, a shocking lack of mental health facilities, and former facilities shut down.
The result – across Maine and Democrat cities, especially those with “sanctuary” status – is an appalling rise in homelessness, addiction, drug-related crimes, protected and benefit-enabled illegal aliens (unvetted, deportable), lawlessness – encouraged by cashless bail, repeat offenses without consequences, public fear.
The saddest fact is that other states with similar demographics, rural but strong law enforcement, empowered local-state-federal cooperation, links from OD resuscitations to detox programs to residential treatment to mental health facilities, and employers and housing are NOT like this.
Mainers are suffering a self-inflicted wound, hostility to the federal government, lack of accountability, a DHHS failure to protect children, political incompetence, indifference, and, in some cases, simple corruption, theft, and outright profiteering.
Bottom line: Happy talk does not cut it anymore. False success metrics do not cut it. Democrat leaders, long in the tooth, are responsible for this disintegration of public health, safety, and confidence, a rippling tragedy that affects thousands of Mainers, tearing apart families and leaving a trail of inconsolable grief.
This must change. It will change. When I am Governor, the whole process changes. We return to strong law enforcement, strong relations with federal resources, effective, affordable, quality addiction treatment, prevention, border protection, and no more needles. It is time for a change.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is the National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor (please visit BobbyforMaine.com to learn more)!
