— Maine has one of the highest overdose rates in the country…
— Mr. Speaker, no one living in Maine today can ignore the addiction epidemic that is upon us.
— …and the state has responded aggressively,
by passing one of the nation’s strictest laws on prescribing opioids.
It caps most patients at 100 milligrams per day.
But the law has had unintended consequences.
Hundreds of chronic pain sufferers are now finding it impossible to access their typical dosage.
After some Mainers pushed back on these restrictions,
lawmakers said these patients could qualify for higher doses
under what’s called the “palliative care exemption.”
Despite the assurances, though,
patients are still struggling to find doctors who will give them the medicine they need.
— This is what I’ve done for a long time and,
you know, I’m nowhere near ready to give it up,
you know, back pain or not.
As long as I can control the pain issues that I’m going to have to deal with,
then I can keep doing this!
They passed this law and they put it through very fast.
No matter if your leg has been amputated, or if you got a bad back, or whatever the reason.
Everybody was getting the same.
In January,
they took one pill away and it wasn’t too bad,
I could deal with that.
But when it got down to, you know, when they had taken five away per day,
I get so that…
I went home after lunch.
When I was in Augusta at that hearing,
they told me that I come under the palliative care exception to the law,
and, “Go back and tell your doctor that and you’ll be all set.”
Well, my doctor didn’t want to hear that.
And a lot of other ones didn’t, either.
— I don’t know of any other doctor in Knox County.
I know that the patients I took on did have doctors in Knox County,
but basically the doctors pushed them out.
I’m gonna work on a refill for you.
Anything else I can do for you today?
— We need help, you could come to work for us.
— I don’t know if I like being up on the roof.
With this legislation,
there were humble apologies that the law was misunderstood—
that all these chronic pain patients didn’t need to be tapered down after all,
and that, in fact, the doctors,
all they have to do is invoke the palliative medicine exception.
But despite that,
the doctors looked for any excuse to get rid of these patients
and I think many one them used that regulation as the last step in the process to shed them.
There’s a culture that seems to have developed
any doctor who prescribes a controlled substance is a bad doctor,
and they don’t want to be seen by their peers
as someone who’s dispensing these things.
So any patients they have who asks for them, the patient is then labeled as a drug addict.
Not under my watch, you know? You’re not gonna get that from me.
— One of those freak things you know?
Um, just coming home from the grocery store.
I was gonna take my truck, but to save on gas I took the car.
And thank god my kids weren’t in there, or my better half wasn’t in there.
37 surgeries later!
Still alive….
And I know Mainers pride themselves on being tough—
and I’m pretty tough,
and I still can’t handle what I’m going through.
— Here, bring this to her.
— I, uh, tend to exclude myself a lot,
because it’s just toxic sometimes to be around it,
you know, and they don’t need to put up with that.
You know, I can function when I have the right amount.
I can go to hall and, you know, be a man, and take care of my family…
I mean, we’ve begged and pleaded, crying to the doctor, begging her.
You know, it’s like, “Nope! Can’t help you.”
— Any other things?
— Um, I guess the pain.
— Okay.
— What’s the prognosis on that?
— So, it is still…
we’re still not getting any word from the board that they’re changing their view,
so I can’t risk my license by going over 100 milligrams.
— You don’t think I qualify for the exemption, yes or no?
— If I am basing my interpretation, or what I’ve got trained—
that palliative care is life-limiting, end of life—
then no.
— I’ve called 57 physicians in the state of Maine.
The nearest appointment that I’ve found is in December.
Out of 57.
I got Dr. Mandel’s number.
He was definitely sympathetic.
But he’s retiring, so he can’t take on any new patients.
— In my practice, I treat about 120 patients.
About 10 of them have chronic pain, 100 of them have drug addiction.
When did you take your last?
— Uh, yesterday.
— No one wants to take care of anybody with addiction.
Nobody wants to take care of anybody with chronic pain.
And so, there’s a lot of orphans out there.
They’re treated like the lepers of our time.
— We are set. — Thank you.
— I’m working seven days a week, but we need more help.
I can’t do this alone.
I will retire,
and who will take care of the patients then?
— Thanks.