Issue Position: Addiction / Drug Policy

Issue Position

My priority in Montpelier is to fix our drug policy. Prohibition has failed to have any meaningful impact on drug use and costs millions of dollars every year. By decriminalizing possession for small amounts of all drugs similar to what we have done with marijuana we can stop incarcerating people for largely victim-less crimes. We spend $50,000/inmate per year, and I think that money would be significantly more effective in treatment programs. This type of approach has proven to be dramatically more effective our current system. Many currently illegal drugs have also shown to be very effective at treating other major health crises, so I also see this as an avenue for encouraging a new "industry" in Vermont by making it easier to research these potential treatments. Colorado led the nation on ending the prohibition of marijuana, I think it's time Vermont led the nation on ending the drug war.

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