Bill H.72 by Jackie Weyrauch

What I imagined when I heard Gov. Peter Shumlin devote his entire State of the Union speech to the opioid epidemic one decade ago was change. Change in the way we see and treat addiction. Unfortunately, this little state that likes to believe it leads the way in making change is woefully far behind when it comes to treating addiction. I’m appalled to hear our Health Commissioner Peter Levine say “This may not be the best strategy for Vermont in terms of getting the best bang for the buck” when discussing overdose prevention centers. I’m appalled that he is unaware of the evidence based research that shows not only do these overdose prevention centers help addicts, but the ripple effect reduces crime associated with chasing sick people. I’m appalled that our state seems intent on continuing a war on drugs that can not be won. We need our leaders to be educated. Johann Hari’s brilliant Chasing the Scream - The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs needs to be read and digested by every one of our leaders. Perhaps if our Governor had a personal experience with drug addiction, it would help open his mind.