By Mary Velan
Gov1
In Portland, Maine, several parks have recently been outfitted with needle disposal boxes in response to the rising heroin abuse rates. Known as Sharps Secure boxes, the metal containers are lockable and house an opening just large enough to slip in a needle or syringe.
These boxes were added to waste compactor trash cans in several parks throughout the city, and staff have been trained in the proper practices of need collection to prevent transmission of diseases. The needle disposal boxes are part of the city’s plan to combat rising heroin use rates. In response to complaints about discarded needles, city parks staff and police have already added additional patrols through local parks. Since enforcement was heightened, the city reported a noticeable reduction in used needles found left in public, Portland Press Herald reported.
Furthermore, Portland officials are studying what other cities across the country have done to address persistent abuse of heroin and other opiates. The rising rate of abuse is not unique to Maine, but can be seen nationwide fueled by the combination of low-cost heroin and higher prices for the prescription opiates that often spur the addiction, Portland Press Herald reported.
The Maine Office of Substance Abuse reported the number of Maine residents seeking treatment for opiate addiction more than tripled between 2010 and 2014 - from 1,115 to 3,463 individuals. Likewise, heroin overdose deaths rose from seven in 2009 to 57 in 2013, Mercury News reported.
Maine officials have discussed several approaches to stopping the epidemic - focusing on a two-pronged approach of offering more education and treatment options, while increasing law enforcement responses to drug trafficking in the state, Mercury News reported.