AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) The Maine Senate shot down a proposal to make drug possession for personal use a civil violation as opposed to a crime.

The Senate cast its vote late Wednesday. Supporters of the proposal had argued in favor of it because they believe the state needs to stop using law enforcement to address the opioid overdose crisis, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Last year was the worst year for overdoses in Maine, which is in the midst of a worsening opioid crisis. More than 500 people died of drug overdoses in the state in 2020. That was an increase of a third from 2019, and early data show that 2021 could be worse.

Opponents of the proposal said involving law enforcement in the drug cases can help get vulnerable people into treatment and recovery. But Courtney Allen, policy director at the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project, said the change “would have saved the state money and reinvested resources from the criminal system into access to recovery services.”

The proposal would have made Maine the second state to decriminalize possession of drugs.