This story was published by Portland Press Herald. View the story online through the link below or read a snippet copied from the article, below.
As Fentanyl Deaths Slow, Meth Comes for Maine
Something worrisome was happening at Spurwink, a mental health clinic in Portland, Maine. Many patients being treated for opioid addiction had gone missing for days, even weeks, skipping prescription refills and therapy appointments.
The counselors feared their patients were relapsing on fentanyl. But those who reappeared did not show the telltale signs — no slurred speech, pinpoint pupils or heavy eyelids. On the contrary, they were bouncy, frenetic, spraying rapid-fire chatter, their pupils dilated. They warned of spies lurking outside the building, listening devices in ceiling tiles, worms in their throats.
In Portland, where the fentanyl has become increasingly diluted and costly, another drug, cheap and plentiful, has been surging to meet demand: methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant that electrifies the brain and grips the central nervous system.
…
