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Friend, I’m happy to share that Vermont Governor Scott just signed H. 222 into law, expanding harm reduction services including drug checking, access to treatment and recovery services, and distribution of the overdose-reversal medication naloxone.
This new law will help address the tragic overdose crisis and save lives. It’s an important step away from punishment toward a health-based approach to keep people who use drugs safer. DPA is proud to have worked with the Decriminalize Vermont grassroots coalition to improve it and get the bill over the finish line.
H. 222 (Rep. Dane Whitman) expands vital harm reduction services throughout the state. This includes access to the opioid overdose-reversal medication naloxone and more funding for syringe service programs. It improves access to drug treatment and recovery services including buprenorphine, one of the gold standard treatments for opioid use disorders. And it permanently decriminalizes buprenorphine for personal use so that people no longer face criminal penalties for possessing it.
It also enacts one of the most far-reaching drug checking laws in the country. It provides $700,000 in grants to significantly expand comprehensive drug checking programs. And encourages participation by ensuring that both participants in programs and the service providers are not subject to arrest for drug offenses relating to the drug checking process. Drug checking allows people to obtain detailed information about the chemical composition of the substance they possess. This allows them to prevent harms associated with consuming an unexpected substance or a higher potency substance than they may have expected, such as fentanyl, xylazine, or other
adulterants.
Overdose deaths have grown dramatically in recent decades. Criminalizing people for drugs has only made things worse. It’s led to the unknown and increasingly stronger illicit drug supply, with adulterants like fentanyl, that is driving overdose deaths. It pushes people to use alone or not seek help due to fear of arrest, putting them at greater risk of overdose and other harms. And criminal records for arrests or convictions prevent people from getting a job, public benefits, or a place to live, which all contribute to poor health outcomes.
Replacing these punitive policies with health solutions is the only way to save lives. This victory in Vermont is a leap forward that will help keep people safer and healthier. And with your support, we will continue fighting for even more from decriminalizing drugs to overdose prevention centers in Vermont and across the country.
Sincerely,
Grey Gardner
Senior Staff Attorney
Drug Policy Alliance
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