Report: Maine bears staggering social, monetary costs associated with drug criminalization

A new report from the ACLU of Maine and the Maine Center for Economic Policy finds that prosecution and incarceration associated with drug use and possession are costing the state more than $100 million a year…

The report authors are calling for the decriminalization of drug use and possession and for investment in drug treatment, recovery-related housing and mental health services using part of the state’s unprecedented budget surplus of $1.2 billion.

Click here to read the full story, first published March 21, 2022, in Maine Public.