AUGUSTA — A small town police chief is criticizing Maine Gov. Paul LePage for vetoing a bill that would allow access to an opioid overdose antidote.

Chief Damien Pickel of Milo, which has fewer than 2,000 residents, takes issue with the Republican governor’s contention that the antidote Narcan does not save lives.

In a Facebook post, Pickel tells LePage to listen to the state’s first responders and medical community before making “further uninformed statements.”

The police chief says the antidote does not perpetuate the use of heroin, as LePage claims, because addicts lack the skills to administer the drug themselves. He says addicts hate Narcan because it causes them to go into withdrawal.

The Legislature on Friday will vote whether to override LePage’s veto.