IFWT_NGDRUGS

After a record death toll from drugs last year, the Governor of Maine is threatening to call in reinforcements to fight the ongoing war on drugs, if lawmakers do not help the cause. Full story after the jump.

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Gov. Paul LePage made an unscheduled appearance this Thursday in the Legislature explaining to attendees on the Appropriations Committee that there is a “dire need” for a solution to the ever growing problem with drugs- heroine in particular.

The governor first brought attention to the matter over the summer in a radio interview in a mere idea that he would call in the National Guard, but has yet to express how he would do it.

Gov. LePage threatened:

“You either work with me and give me some agents, or I will call the Guard up.”

Lawmakers previously supplied LePage with 10 drug enforcement officials, six state drug agents, two judges and two drug prosecutors, but the governor insists this is not enough.

The Speaker of the House of Maine Mark Eves, a democrat as well as apparent adversary of the republican governor, stated the party would be open to rediscuss the situation, “but we won’t come back to have a partisan fight or waste taxpayer dollars.”

According to recent studies, 208 people have died thus far from drug overdoses and 8 percent of babies born last year had mothers who were on drugs. Maine is experiencing a severe epidemic of addiction to heroine, fentanyl and other opioids as well.

Our federal law does limit how military personnel can be used to enforce domestic laws, but National Guard Association of the United States’ John Goheen, states it is allowable to use law enforcement if and when a governor give’s them their call of duty for the state. It is also not uncommon for guard personnel to augment local and state law enforcement agencies with special equipment and capabilities, Goheen supplied, as well as:

“Counter-narcotics is a fairly specific type of law enforcement. Theoretically, (National Guard personnel) could be used to backfill and provide some equipment.”

Maine Army National Guard helicopters were used in the past as surveillance to eagle eye marijuana-growing operations and could serve as possible sky eyes for heroine shipments. We currently have National Guard personnel assisting in analyzing data in the state’s intelligence center. The governor of Texas had aided Maine’s governor by stationing National Guard soldiers on Mexico’s border.

LePage stated Maine’s DEA will assist but did not yet provide any details or specifics on how the plan would unfold.

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