PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine Gov. Paul LePage said people who’re not old enough to buy cigarettes shouldn’t have access to the overdose antidote naloxone at pharmacies.
The Republican governor told New England Cable News that he opposes the 18-year-old age threshold in the rules because Maine has raised the legal age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21. LePage said he believed the age for naloxone should also be 21.
The naloxone law was passed last year, but the rules have stalled.
House Speaker Sara Gideon accused the governor of “playing games with people’s lives.”
LePage has opposed widespread distribution of the naloxone, which is sold under the name Narcan. He contends the life-saving drug is a crutch that keeps people using drugs.
