By Guy Page
A bill passed by the Vermont House last week prevents law enforcement from stopping anyone – including children – from shooting up in so-called ‘safe injection sites,’ House Minority Leader Pattie McCoy (R-Poultney) warned at a press conference Tuesday.
H72, the “harm-reduction criminal justice response to drug use” bill, passed the House last week by a veto-proof super-majority. It’s now in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.
McCoy pointed to the language – or rather the lack of it – in the bill regarding age limits. As written, anyone could enter the state funded and staff sites, shoot up, and leave without any intervention allowed by state child protection or law enforcement. Site owners, staff and clients “shall not be cited, arrested, or prosecuted for unlawful possession of a regulated drug.” No age limit is included.
Asked about the children’s apparent accessibility to ‘safe injection sites’, Rep. Small – who watched the press conference, said the bill merely gives guiding principles. It would be up to the Vermont Department of Health to set guidelines, Rep. Small said.
Lawmakers, including Rep. Eric Maguire (R-Rutland), also noted the law violates federal law banning the possession and use of controlled substances. Although the Biden administration has taken a ‘wait and see’ approach to safe injection sites, the next administration could well drop the enforcement hammer on owners, operators, staff and clients – and possibly the State of Vermont as well. Small said in New York City, where a non-government safe injection site now operates, police and other authorities welcome the site for its apparent reduction of overdoses.
What should Vermont do instead?
Backed by a large contingent of House and Senate Republicans, McCoy and other Republicans said that instead of giving drug users locations to shoot up, the Legislature must double down on four levels: prevention and education (especially for the very young), intervention, recovery, and law enforcement.