NOT LEGAL IN VT FOR NOW: While some states are experimenting with legalizing hard drugs and getting disturbing results, Vermont’s governor has refused to let the Green Mountain State join the experiment.
A new experiment in legalizing hard drugs is getting disturbing results in Oregon, and so far Vermont’s governor has prevented the experiment from making its way to the Green Mountain State.
According to reporting by Fox News, Portland is experiencing serious problems related to drug legalization, which began in Oregon two years ago.
“Heroin, meth and fentanyl use is rampant and often visible on city streets. Portland police officers drive by homeless addicts buying and using,” Fox News reported.
In 2020, 58% of Oregon voters voted to approve the legalization of small amounts of heroin, meth, cocaine and fentanyl. While the new law allows for financial penalties of up to $100, the fines are easily dismissed if users call a hotline to get professional help.
The results of hard drug use are now growing out of control just 16 months after Oregon’s passage of Measure 110.
“Drug overdose deaths hit an all-time high in 2021 with 1069, a 41% increase from 2020. And very few people are getting into treatment. According to The Lund Report, after one year, just 136 people had entered treatment, less than 1% of those helped by Measure 110. But the actual number may be even lower,” Fox News reported.
One in five adults is addicted to a hard drug in Oregon, and deaths related to fentanyl use were reportedly up 41% in 2021. In the report, Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life, tells how only 116 people have ever called the state’s help hotline, and mostly for dealing with the tickets.
Vermont came close to seeing similar legalization of hard drugs during this past legislative session. However, Gov. Phil Scott vetoed H.505 — An act relating to the creation of the Drug Use Standards Advisory Board within the Vermont Sentencing Commission — on May 19.
“This bill creates a Drug Use Standards Advisory Board with a stated goal to identify a path to effectively legalize personal possession and use of dangerous and highly addictive drugs,” Scott wrote in his veto letter to the General Assembly.
The governor emphasized that law enforcement must maintain their ability to pursue illegal drug dealers.
“[H.505] includes absolutely no recognition of the often-disastrous health and safety impacts of using drugs like fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, and more,” Scott wrote. “Nor does it acknowledge the role of enforcement in tracking down and stopping the dealers who seek to poison Vermonters — including children — for profit.”
Last year, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George expressed her opinion on the legalization of hard drugs during a press conference in February 2021.
“Drugs are not illegal because they are dangerous, but they are certainly more dangerous because they’re illegal,” said George, according to a report by VTDigger. “Everything is safer when it’s legalized and regulated, and legal drugs are safer than illegal drugs.”
Speaking with VPR last year, George, a progressive who participates in the George Soros funded organization Fair and Just Prosecution, discussed recent legalization of hard drugs on the West Coast.
“But in Oregon, that just passed it, it was a decriminalization of all personal drug use possession, or personal drug possession,” she said. “So it’s still a crime to sell those particular drugs in Oregon, and you can get a civil ticket for possessing them. But it isn’t a crime. In Portugal it was similar. In 2001, they decriminalized all drugs.”
George suggested that it worked well in Portugal, where she says the nation has a much lower overdose rate compared to other European nations.
Michael Bielawski is a reporter for True North. Send him news tips at bielawski82@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @TrueNorthMikeB.
Those drugs are dangerous because they are dangerous, regardless of their legality or lethality.
They make people into monsters, dangerous people who are a far greater threat than drugs or weapons themselves.
I say, ban assault humans. They are the real threat. “Mental illness” is the kinder, gentler way of saying
“out of control, crazed, potential killer”.
There might be a more sinister reason for legalizing these drugs and that would be population control.
Another board, another committee. The leadership in this State can do one thing and one thing only – create boards and committees. The war on drugs must be over. The government obviously can’t fix it after four decades of waging war against it, so they may as well legalize it. The war effort now is against the People. Every thing they are doing is an assault against the People. It is obvious to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Society is collapsing and we know exactly who is reponsible. Will they be held accountable? Will anything be done to put an end to the criminal syndicate posing as our government?
To think that legalizing drugs is a good idea totally ignores the devastating carnage that is left behind when this suggestion is put into play. The Chinese have found that this is an excellent tool for destroying us from within!
No one is talking about this- because the “smart people” that think they are our betters are really not that smart:
When these people take these hard drugs for a while, they are literally destroying their brains, and their lungs (from snorting these dangerous chemicals) plus they are destroying their livers (this also creates mental illness)
So in Oregon, one in five has that going on. How about more like: one in five families is dealing with this.
Try living with them, having them in your family, being married to one of these addicts.
Try watching this happen to your kid, how about trying to raise kids with these addicts- how do you think that is all going?
They literally have brain damage, often it’s severe, which is ignored by the legal system quite often because that doesn’t work for them (THEM that are profiting from this entire economy)
What happens to a heroin addicts brain is considered a brain injury- well how many people do you know with a brain injury that are normal?
Then the family is saddled with a dangerous out of control nutcase on their hands that they can’t often get away from thanks to the corrupt courts.
Rather than thinking about the addicts, why not take a look at the trail of carnage the addict leaves in their wake.. the destruction of the family stuck with them is massive, tragic, the babies they produce have all sorts of issues, and it’s all a crisis.
THIS has much to do with the tremendous social issues we are now plagued with- from kids being off the wall in schools, (here is your high cost of special ed.) homelessness, deep poverty- they rob the family to fund their addictions, you’d be surprised at how many elderly people are even addicts…
These drugs *that our nation is being flooded with** are literally destroying our country, our families,
one addict at a time. They are like a weapon of mass destruction that has been dropped into a families world.
And this is just what these drugs are designed to do- and be.
Wanna know why this is going on?
Go do a deep dive about the Opium Wars in China.. then learn about what is really happening to America.
Excellent observations and comment. I have seen the ravage that an addict in the home causes. You are right about all of it
All I can say, is when the going gets tough, the tough need to know enough to leave this state. There is no saving it at this point………..Vermont is going to go down the proverbial toilet and I will not be one to watch this insanity it, life is too short! You druggies have a great time now!
“Everything is safer when it’s legalized and regulated, and legal drugs are safer than illegal drugs.”
So why are you trying to outlaw guns?
Great Point John!!
“One in five adults is addicted to a hard drug in Oregon”.
If even close to true that says all you need to know.
“Drugs are not illegal because they are dangerous, but they are certainly more dangerous because they’re illegal,” said George, according to a report by VTDigger. “Everything is safer when it’s legalized and regulated, and legal drugs are safer than illegal drugs.”
This woman is so far from reality, her comment makes my head spin! Please, someone, commit her to Berlin she is in desperate need of psychiatric care.
agreed