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Phil Scott on Drugs |
"After more than 15 years of hard work by MPP and our allies in the state, adults in Vermont no longer need to fear being fined or criminalized for low-level marijuana possession and cultivation," said the New England political director for the Marijuana Policy Project. Vermont is the ninth state to make marijuana legal for adults and the first to do so through its legislature. Eight other states have enacted laws legalizing and regulating marijuana for adult use, all through ballot initiatives."
Legislative outcome: Passed House 81-63-5 on Jan. 4; signed by Governor on Jan. 22.
Scott: I have a 10-point plan to address opiate addiction through prevention, treatment, and enforcement. We need to expand community commitment by replicating the success of programs such as Rutland Project VISION. I'd establish a Director of Drug Abuse Prevention and an Opiate Coordination Council comprised of municipal, health and law enforcement officials to eliminate red tape and ensure integration of state government opiate policies. I'd emphasize long-term treatment rather than short-term detox, invest in expanded treatment options and new licensed counselors. We can also give law enforcement more flexibility to refer people to treatment rather than prison. I'd also require digital prescriptions in order to reduce prescription fraud. I'd fight to update federal drug disposal rules and expand Medication-Assisted Treatment programs so doctors can treat more addicts.
Lieutenant Gov. Phil Scott (R-Berlin) did not respond to MPP's survey asking about marijuana legalization. "I'm not saying never," Scott said on Vermont Public Radio in June. "I'm saying it's the timing's not right. It's not now."
