LEWISTON, ME - Congressman Mike Michaud announced today that the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has accepted his invitation to hear firsthand from local law enforcement about the impacts the bath salts epidemic on Maine. At a forum on Thursday in Portland, Bangor Police Chief Ron Gastia will make a presentation to ONDCP Deputy Director Benjamin Tucker and other federal officials that will outline current bath salts issues in Maine.
"Although largely unknown a year ago, bath salts have quickly become one of the top health and public safety issues in Maine," said Michaud. "It's critical that our federal agencies hear directly from local law enforcement about their experiences on the ground. This forum will give our law enforcement the opportunity to brief these federal agencies and work with them to ensure Maine has the resources it needs to combat this growing problem. The insights Maine law enforcement provides will be important as ONDCP and its federal partners work to develop a comprehensive strategy to address the emergence of bath salts and other synthetic drugs."
Michaud is a cosponsor of H.R. 1254, the Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2011, which places a ban on synthetic drugs like bath salts and provides the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) with greater flexibility to make similar substances permanently illegal.
The meeting will be at 11.00 am at the U.S. Attorney's office at 100 Middle Street in Portland tomorrow, Thursday, October, 20, 2011. It is closed to media but there will be availability for the Media at 11.45am. in the lobby.
In attendance for the briefing:
Congressman Mike Michaud
ONDCP Deputy Director Benjamin Tucker
Bangor Police Chief Ron Gastia
U.S. Attorney Thomas Delahanty II
U.S. Marshal Noel C. March
FBI Resident Agent in Charge Todd DiFede
U.S. Secret Service Agent in Charge Michael Magalski
U.S. Postal Inspector Resident Agent in Charge Michael Desrosier
DEA Resident Agent in Charge Michael Wardrop
Federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's staff
Representatives with the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration & Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol
