Gov. Peter Shumlin devoted his State of the State address Wednesday to highlighting what he called a “rising tide of drug addiction and drug-related crime” that he said threatens the quality of life in Vermont.
During a 34-minute speech, Shumlin said Vermont is imperiled by opiate addicts who cannot access treatment and commit crimes to raise money for drugs. The governor proposed steps to bolster treatment for addicts, shift the focus of the court system from punishment to a treatment and slap tougher sentences on out-of-state dealers who bring drugs to Vermont.
“In every corner of our state, heroin and opiate drug addiction threatens us. It threatens the safety that has always blessed our state,” Shumlin said. “It is a crisis bubbling just beneath the surface that may be invisible to many, but is already highly visible to law enforcement, medical personnel, social service and addiction treatment providers, and too many Vermont families. It requires all of us to take action before the quality of life that we cherish so much is compromised.”
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sounds good, let’s just make sure those stiffer drug penalties are for opiates and amphetamines, no need to further bog down the courts with weed offenders
It’s disappointing that the Governor came up with a single issue and didn’t bother addressing pressing fiscal challenges and education reform. While I certainly agree and back ways to combat drug addictions and crimes associated with drug addiction it is only one of many urgent issues that have to be dealt with.
It’s unfortunate that he seemingly has no plan or ideas to tackle other issues. Maybe spending so much time as the chair of the DGA and focusing on winning elections in other states has taken away from being able to focus on the issues we have here in Vermont.
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
H. L. Mencken
He’s putting on the armor and going all drug warrior on us. Always popular with the plebes.