On July 14, 2014

Gov. Shumlin signs new law cracking down on abuse of prescription and other drugs

posted Jun 13, 2013

On June 5, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law a comprehensive package of legislation designed to crack down on drug addiction and the crimes linked to abuse of prescription and other drugs, including methamphetamines. In addition, another new law provides limited immunity from liability for people who report an overdose to help reduce the number of drug- and alcohol-related deaths in Vermont.

“The Vermont Legislature moved quickly to pass bills taking aim at the abuse of drugs that are addicting Vermonters, ruining lives, and sparking crime that harms communities,” the Governor said. “This new law is a significant move forward in our fight against substance abuse and I thank the Legislature for their hard work and initiative on this issue.”

Joined by legislative leaders and others who worked to ensure passage of the legislation, Gov. Shumlin signed the measure into law at a Behavioral Health Network of Vermont Conference that was focused, in large part, on addiction issues.

Among the provisions, the new law implements standards for doctors to consult the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System to ensure patients are not doctor-shopping for their drugs. It also creates a pilot program for wider distribution of a drug that reverses opioid overdoses. In addition, the law creates a proposal for a statewide disposal program for unused prescription medications so they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

The law also:
• Implements participation in a national database to track the sales of non-prescription, over-the-counter chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamines (this real-time monitoring can prevent the excessive sales of those chemicals to a purchaser);
• Establishes an unused drug disposal protocol; and
• Creates an outreach program by the Department of Public Safety to educate pawn shop owners and precious metal dealers about laws dealing with the purchase and sale of precious metals that might have been stolen in drug-related robberies.
In a related move, Gov. Shumlin also signed legislation providing limited immunity from liability for people who report an overdose, legislation informally known as the Good Samaritan Bill. In 2011, there were over 120 drug overdose deaths in Vermont attributed to drugs or alcohol. Advocates argue that some overdoses are not reported by others because of concerns they might be held liable for the drug sale or use.

Gov. Shumlin said it’s important that these overdoses are reported as quickly as possible because victims might be saved by a prompt medical response.

“We cannot break our focus on this critical issue, because drug addiction harms not just the individuals ensnared in it but also our families and communities,” Gov. Shumlin said. “I pledge to continue to work with mayors, law enforcement, medical and mental health experts and legislators to fight this problem, and will be focusing between now and January on the next steps in this battle.”

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Good news, progress,and more work to come

May 7, 2025
The best news of the week was that Mohsen Madawi was released from detention here in Vermont.  The federal government offered no acceptable justification for Madawi’s detention, and, as a result, Judge Crawford of Vermont’s U.S. District Court freed him. The conditions of his release seem relatively simple: he is now free to go back…

Threading the needle

May 7, 2025
Last Thursday, May 1, the full Senate approved its version of the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 with numerous changes from the House. On Friday the House and Senate appointed a conference committee (three House and three Senate members) to work out the differences between the two chambers. Once that happens,…

Sanders introduces Medicare for All

May 7, 2025
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), alongside Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), introduced the Medicare for All Act last Tuesday, April 29. Hundreds of nurses, health care providers and workers from around the nation joined the lawmakers for a press conference in…

Why did the herp cross the road? ‘Big Nights’ mean big risks for amphibians and reptiles

May 7, 2025
By Theresa Golub Editor’s note: This story is via Community News Service in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton. Across Vermont, the songs of spring peepers marking the change in seasons. Temperatures rise, snow melts and water runs into the dips and divots of the land to form vernal pools.  Biologists call those springtime basins the…