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Vermont\u2019s governor recently vetoed a bill that would have created a working group tasked with crafting a plan to open safe consumption sites where people could use currently illicit drugs in a medically supervised environment.<\/p>\n
At a time when more states are exploring and enacting bold harm reduction proposals to mitigate the overdose epidemic, and when even the White House is evidently embracing the broader strategy, Gov. Phil Scott (R) shut down a measure passed by the legislature that would have helped create a framework to authorize overdose prevention centers to operate.<\/p>\n
Scott wrote in his veto message earlier this month that \u201cit seems counterintuitive to divert resources from proven harm reduction strategies to plan injection sites without clear data on the effectiveness of this approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Filter noted<\/a>, the legislation<\/a> also contained provisions meant to increase other, less controversial harm reduction resources. But the governor focused on the proposed Overdose Prevention Site Working Group, suggesting that existing data on the efficacy of such facilities might not necessarily apply to Vermont because many prior studies have focused on more populous, urban areas compared to his state.<\/p>\n Scott stressed<\/a> that Vermont does currently \u201cutilize harm reduction strategies, including syringe programs, distribution of Narcan, fentanyl test strips and comprehensive community education,\u201d which he said are \u201cproven, evidence-based approaches to saving lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, this bill proposes to shift state policy and financial resources away from prevention and toward unproven strategies such as overdose prevention sites. It\u2019s important to note that what little data exists on this approach is for sites located in large cities, so it\u2019s not applicable to the vast majority of Vermont.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor went on to say that he\u2019s awaiting the results of a bill he signed last year to decriminalize buprenorphine, which is commonly used to help people seeking treatment from opioid use disorder.<\/p>\n When it comes to drug decriminalization, Scott has clearly signaled that he\u2019s not willing to go further\u2014and he recently vetoed a separate legislature-passed bill<\/a> that was viewed by advocates a step toward broader reform. It would have simply tasked a state panel with standardizing personal use amounts of various illegal drugs that could potentially be decriminalized later under subsequent legislation.<\/p>\n At the beginning of the year, Vermont lawmakers also filed a more decisive measure to make possession and distribution of low levels of currently illicit drugs punishable by a $50 fine, without the threat of jail time<\/a>\u2014but it did not advance.<\/p>\n \u2014 The sponsors filed similar decriminalization legislation last year<\/a>, but it too did not receive a vote.<\/p>\n A separate bill to\u00a0remove criminal penalties around plant- and fungi-based substances<\/a> such as psilocybin, mescaline, ibogaine and DMT was also introduced last year by Rep. Brian Cina (P\/D).<\/p>\n When it comes to harm reduction, there\u2019s a concerted effort by state lawmakers outside of Vermont, as well as the federal government, to shift gears as overdose deaths rose to more than 100,000 in 2021.<\/p>\n Recently, the White House drug czar said that the Biden administration is reviewing broader drug policy harm reduction proposals<\/a>, including the authorization of supervised consumption sites\u2014and he went so far as to suggest possible decriminalization.<\/p>\n While the Biden administration is still investigating the clinical efficacy of such facilities, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Rahul Gupta said that the proposal to lift the existing federal ban is on the table. The comments come as the Justice Department is due to respond this week in a federal case<\/a>\u00a0concerning the legality of safe consumption sites that was brought about as a challenge to a Philadelphia-based nonprofit.<\/p>\n New York City opened the\u00a0first sanctioned harm reduction centers<\/a>\u00a0late last year, and\u00a0officials have already reported positive results<\/a>\u00a0in saving lives. The facilities have yet to face a federal challenge like Philadelphia\u2019s Safehouse did under the Trump administration.<\/p>\n DOJ said in February that it is actively \u201cevaluating supervised consumption sites<\/a>, including discussions with state and local regulators about appropriate guardrails for such sites, as part of an overall approach to harm reduction and public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n In October, the Supreme Court\u00a0rejected a request to hear a case<\/a>\u00a0on the legality of establishing the Safehouse facilities, but the case is still before a lower federal court.<\/p>\n The National Institutes of Health (NIH)\u00a0put out a pair of requests for applications<\/a>\u00a0(RFAs) in December for an effort that will provide funding for efforts to investigate how that and other harm reduction policies could help address the drug crisis.<\/p>\n Gupta previously said that it\u2019s critical to explore \u201cany and every option\u201d to reduce overdose deaths, and that\u00a0could include allowing safe consumption sites<\/a>\u00a0for illegal substances if the evidence supports their efficacy.<\/p>\n The secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Xavier Becerra, has also signaled that the Biden administration would not move to block the establishment safe injection sites, stressing that \u201cwe are literally trying to give users a lifeline.\u201d<\/p>\n But a department spokesperson\u00a0later walked those remarks back<\/a>, stating that \u201cHHS does not have a position on supervised consumption sites\u201d and the \u201cissue is a matter of ongoing litigation.\u201d In any case, it would be up to DOJ to decide whether to pursue operators of the facilities under the Controlled Substances Act.<\/p>\n At the state level, a New York Assembly committee advanced a bill last month to establish a statewide safe consumption site program<\/a>, allowing regulators to authorize facilities where people could use currently illicit drugs in a medically supervised environment.<\/p>\n While New York City was the first to open the harm reduction centers, the governor of Rhode Island did sign a historic bill last year to\u00a0establish a safe consumption site pilot program<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, a California Assembly committee\u00a0approved a Senate-passed bill<\/a>\u00a0that would establish a pilot program to allow certain jurisdictions throughout the state to authorize safe consumption sites where people could use currently illicit drugs in a medically supervised environment.<\/p>\n A poll released in April found that a majority of Americans (64 percent)\u00a0support allowing safe consumption sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n Medical Marijuana Legalization Linked To Reduced Drunk Driving And Safer Roads, Study On Auto Insurance Data Suggests<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Vermont Governor Vetoes Bill On Safe Drug Consumption Sites And Harm Reduction<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Vermont\u2019s governor recently vetoed a bill that would have created a working group tasked with crafting a plan to open safe consumption sites where people could use currently illicit drugs in a medically supervised environment. At a time when more states are exploring and enacting bold harm reduction proposals toContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":55334,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55333"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55333"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55335,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55333\/revisions\/55335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: Vermont Governor Vetoes Bill On Safe Drug Consumption Sites And Harm Reduction<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"