[vter]

Just to clarify my post...yes I know heroin isn't produced in VT. I was responding to a post that referred to Vermonters blaming out of staters. I should have clarified and said that the vast majority of heroin comes up her from out of state dealers. Who then recruit local dealers. Who then sell to locals. Yes there are some locals who drive south to get it themselves. Yes, drug use is a big issue for a segment of the VT population. Not putting the blame on anyone...just saying how it is (according to my law enforcement relatives). Yes, we actually have been victim of a crime (property) due to suspected drug use, so even though no one in our family or social circle are users, we have been affected. Again, I'm glad our Governor wants to try and solve the problem.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by vter

Just to clarify my post...yes I know heroin isn't produced in VT. I was responding to a post that referred to Vermonters blaming out of staters. I should have clarified and said that the vast majority of heroin comes up her from out of state dealers. Who then recruit local dealers. Who then sell to locals. Yes there are some locals who drive south to get it themselves. Yes, drug use is a big issue for a segment of the VT population. Not putting the blame on anyone...just saying how it is (according to my law enforcement relatives).

Were saying it's a pointless thing to point out since that's how it happens in every state.

It's exactly how heroin arrives in every single state in the country. It isn't unique to Vermont.

[harpoonalt]

Vermont is at a disadvantage since we were spared the big drug influx earlier. By the time people knew it was here and a growing problem, we were way behind the curve. We're playing catch up in a game many towns and cities have been playing for years. This state is still learning how to deal with it. Heroin addiction in this state has been like a house fire. It started small and no one raised an alarm until it was almost out of control. And now we're playing catch up trying to figure out how to stop it.

[RunawayJim]

What's interesting to me is that I have now seen articles about record high numbers of deaths from heroin overdoses in RI and CO now. Looks like the new cheap drug on the street is heroin. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most dangerous. Heck, something I hadn't heard in forever was someone being offered "smack" at a Phish show (granted, it was in Atlantic City, but it's not something that's common... those who want it, bring it for themselves... it's rarely sold on lot, in favor of other drugs).

[Wartrace]

Originally Posted by vter

Just to clarify my post...yes I know heroin isn't produced in VT. I was responding to a post that referred to Vermonters blaming out of staters. I should have clarified and said that the vast majority of heroin comes up her from out of state dealers. Who then recruit local dealers. Who then sell to locals. Yes there are some locals who drive south to get it themselves. Yes, drug use is a big issue for a segment of the VT population. Not putting the blame on anyone...just saying how it is (according to my law enforcement relatives). Yes, we actually have been victim of a crime (property) due to suspected drug use, so even though no one in our family or social circle are users, we have been affected. Again, I'm glad our Governor wants to try and solve the problem.

I am sorry I was so flippant about the subject in my post. I took the time to read a few articles about heroin in Vermont and it seems to be a big problem. It also seems that prescription drug abuse is very high in your state as well.

From the article I read younger people start out abusing pain killers with opiates in them and then turn to heroin because it is less than half the cost of painkillers. Drug dealers can get twice for their heroin in Vermont than they can get on the streets of New York so there is a profit motive to push heroin in Vermont.

My thought is that if we legalize there would be better controls and less property crime for other citizens. If drug abusers could purchase their fix at a drug store for a reasonable price there is less incentive to harm other citizens. I personally do not care what an adult chooses to do to themselves in the privacy of their own home. Enforce public intoxication laws and driving rules and let the people decide.

I'm in Tennessee and the drug of choice around here is Meth. Meth heads will steal anything that isn't tied down for their fix. We also have a lot of prescription drug abuse but so far it hasn't led to the heroin problems seen in Vermont. Perhaps the reason is our distance from the big heroin cities in the Northeast.

[RunawayJim]

Originally Posted by Wartrace

My thought is that if we legalize there would be better controls and less property crime for other citizens. If drug abusers could purchase their fix at a drug store for a reasonable price there is less incentive to harm other citizens. I personally do not care what an adult chooses to do to themselves in the privacy of their own home. Enforce public intoxication laws and driving rules and let the people decide.

Legalization is probably out of the scope of this thread, but it comes with one benefit that people seem to ignore - reduction of the stigma of being an addict. People with drug problems are viewed as criminals rather than someone with a disease. Addiction is a disease and needs to be treated as one if we're going to actually combat the issue. Throwing non-violent drug offenders in prison does not help the problem. Instead, you've got a prison full of addicts who will just go back to their ways once they leave. The only way to fix the problem is to treat the cause... which is not getting rid of the drug, but getting rid of the addiction. Those with drug problems will be more likely to come forward if the stigma of being a drug addict is reduced.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Wartrace

I'm in Tennessee and the drug of choice around here is Meth. Meth heads will steal anything that isn't tied down for their fix. We also have a lot of prescription drug abuse but so far it hasn't led to the heroin problems seen in Vermont. Perhaps the reason is our distance from the big heroin cities in the Northeast.

What leads to heroin use is authorities cracking down on prescription drug abuse. When the prescription drug sources are eliminated, users turn to heroin. That's changing quickly. Tennessee authorities are starting to crack down on prescription drug abuse and heroin numbers are rising quickly in Tennessee.

It's mindboggling how everyone in rural areas think the big cities are the source. Tennessee is earning the title of being the largest meth PRODUCING state. That means Tennessee is a major meth source for the rest of the country and it's not a big northeast city.

[Targo]

Perhaps if the states/country addressed the causes that lead many people to hard drugs we just might………………….


No, that would never work.

[delmioquartiere]

Originally Posted by Targo

Perhaps if the states/country addressed the causes that lead many people to hard drugs we just might………………….


No, that would never work.

I think that would start at the top you know with Obama commenting about pot not being any worse than alcohol just yesterday, maybe 25 years ago but today's pot is like LSD.

People elect a community organizer not once but twice and you wonder why people want to just dull their senses. They're jobless and see no future in sight.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by delmioquartiere

I think that would start at the top you know with Obama commenting about pot not being any worse than alcohol just yesterday, maybe 25 years ago but today's pot is like LSD.

People elect a community organizer not once but twice and you wonder why people want to just dull their senses. They're jobless and see no future in sight.

Yeah, right. Vermont's problems are all Obama's fault.