Amid Heroin Crisis, Methamphetamine Abuse Persists In Maine

An epidemic of heroin and opiate overdoses is grabbing most of the headlines in Maine, but methamphetamine hasn’t gone away as a problem for law enforcement, either. Law enforcement officials have responded to a record number of suspected meth labs across the state. The number was 51 as of Friday, compared with 37 last year. Maine’s meth lab activity is five times higher than that of other New England states, but most of the meth labs are small operations serving a small number of users, and the number of people seeking treatment for meth is growing at a slow rate, said Roy McKinney, director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. The problem pales in comparison to heroin abuse, but the state always responds forcefully because the chemicals used to make meth raise the possibility of fires and explosions. “It is a high priority because of the danger to public safety and health,” McKinney said.