News Center Maine - There is a new illegal drug being detected in Maine that increases people’s risk for overdose and severe withdrawal, according to health officials. Medetomidine is an animal tranquilizer, not approved for human use. Now, it is being mixed with fentanyl.
....The northeast region is the most highly affected area in the country, but it’s not known how widespread medetomidine is in Maine. The Maine CDC said it does not have information on the spread of the drug here, other than that it has been detected.
James Williams, a physician associate at Groups Recover Together who helps people struggling with opioid addiction, said the presence of the drug in Maine is dangerous.
“This has yet to become a big problem in Maine,” Williams explained. “But there are times when our hospitals are already full and there are not a lot of ICU beds. And if this becomes a widespread phenomenon, it could seriously strain the resources.”
Medetomidine lowers heart rate and blood pressure. An overdose, mixed with fentanyl, can make someone stop breathing.
Maine Morning Strar - U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is demanding the release of Olivia Andre, a 19-year-old asylum seeker who continues to be held in a Texas detention center despite her family returning home to Portland last month.
In a letter Thursday addressed to Todd Lyons, acting director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and San Antonio Field Office Director Miguel Vergara, Pingree called for Andre’s release, as well as an explanation of the legal basis for her continued detention at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center.
Andre’s mother, Carine Balenda Mbizi, and two younger siblings were released from custody on March 18 after being held for four months. The family, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, first entered the U.S. in 2022. In November, border agents in New York detained the family after they attempted to seek asylum in Canada.
Maine Morning Star - The Maine Legislature adjourned, but lawmakers left a lot unresolved. A few of the bills that did not receive decisive final action before both the Senate and House of Representatives officially adjourned Tuesday night included requirements for medical cannabis testing, multiple proposals to improve child welfare, and a measure to restore the right to possess firearms for people previously convicted of nonviolent felonies.
The gun rights measure is one of more than 100 bills left on what’s called the “appropriations table,” where bills not otherwise funded in the budget are placed to vie for remaining dollars. Legislation that is still on the table is likely to die because the budget committee already made its funding decisions.
Maine Morning Star - The approval gap on President Donald Trump’s war in Iran narrowed slightly Thursday in the U.S. House, when a War Powers Resolution gained a handful of votes, though still falling just short of passage.The effort to force Trump to seek congressional authorization before further action in Iran failed 213-214, with one Republican voting present — shrinking the daylight compared to a 212-219 result in early March.
Democrats Greg Landsman of Ohio, Juan Vargas of California and Henry Cuellar of Texas flipped to vote in favor of the resolution brought to the floor by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, remained the only Democrat in opposition.
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