This is such bullshit: How Did Idyllic Vermont Become America's Heroin Capital?

[cali]

OK, first I want to say that I have a 27 year old son who grew up here and went to high school in rural vermont in the early oughts. It certainly wasn't free of substance abuse but the kids he knew who died- including 3 of his cousins and his best friend, died in drunk driving accidents- not from heroin. There were plenty of stoners and kids taking mushrooms but heroin use was not common. My son says it still isn't. He still doesn't know anyone who's a heroin addict and he hangs with a fairly diverse group and knows a lot of people within his age group.

Yeah, the above is anecdotal but so is this story in Politico. Vermont has a lot of "more per capita than any other state" categories. But how much of that is because it's so small? You know, more deaths in the Iraq War per capita, more craft breweries per capita, more artisan cheese makers per capita.


Is heroin a problem in Vermont? Sure. Is it a bigger problem than in other areas? I don't know, but claiming that Vermont is America's Heroin capital is fucking absurd.



A few days before I started high school, in 1996, I attended a freshman orientation. I remember sitting at a table in the cafeteria, watching my new classmates file in. One girl caught my eye—she was tall and thin, with flowing strawberry blonde hair and a guy on each side.

Wow, I thought. She was the picture of what I thought a pretty, popular high school girl would be.

A few years later, she was dead. Overdosed on heroin.

<snip>

The number of heroin addicts seemed to explode after OxyContin was redesigned in 2010, making it more expensive and harder to crush. Since Oxycontin is similar to heroin, heroin became the drug of choice. It’s now easier to find than weed in many parts of Vermont.

I went to rehab myself that year, following a cocaine binge in my home state. The facility was in upstate New York, which has similar demographics—and a similar heroin problem—to Vermont’s. Most of the people there were being treated for heroin addiction, by court order. They all seemed to have the same story: They didn’t start off on heroin. They started on pills.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/02/vermont-heroin-capital-of-america-103280.html#ixzz2sjt179m2

This story is so full of hysterical hyperbole it's amazing. and living in the Northeast Kingdom and having worked in social services here, I'm not unaware of the serious problems in the region.

[ProSense]

1. Bernie Sanders On Philip Seymour Hoffman And Vermont's Heroin Epidemic

Bernie Sanders On Philip Seymour Hoffman And Vermont's Heroin Epidemic

<...>

The other senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders (I), spoke to high school students about the abuse of heroin and other drugs just days before Shumlin's speech. Sanders told The Huffington Post that Hoffman's death should serve as a jumping off point for a broader discussion about the dangers of addiction. The country, he added ominously, is "unprepared for the epidemic."

"One of the problems in Vermont is you have waiting lists of people who want to break the habit, want to break their addiction, and we can't treat them when they want to do it," Sanders said. "So you tell them, come back in six months. Well, in six months, they might not be prepared to take that step. I will tell you that in Vermont it is a very, very serious problem.

His full remarks on Hoffman and on the heroin epidemic are below:

As an actor, I really, really liked him. I think he was a great actor and it is a real tragedy for his family and for all of us. If there's a silver lining in the death of a brilliant, young actor, it maybe just raises this issue to a higher level. And that is, we have a real, real, real crisis with opiates and with heroin. I, myself, a couple weeks ago spoke to about a thousand kids in an area of the state -- a high school in northern Vermont -- a community which I think in the last couple of months has lost two people due to overdoses, and it was just a very emotional meeting. I and the US Attorney were there and talking with the kids.

So I think the issues there are several-fold. The first and fundamental issue is, why is it that so many people, not just young people, gravitate toward opiates and toward heroin? Why? Why? What's going on in our culture, where people know that taking powerful drugs -- you gotta know it's not good for you, and you gotta know that when you do these things they become addictive, and certainly most people know that heroin is a killer. Once you're into heroin, it's either jail or death. And, why? Second of all is, we are unprepared for the epidemic, in terms of our mental health capacity to treat people who need treatment. And one of the problems in Vermont is you have waiting lists of people who want to break the habit, want to break their addiction, and we can't treat them when they want to do it. So you tell them, come back in six months. Well, in six months, they might not be prepared to take that step. I will tell you that in Vermont it is a very, very serious problem.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/07/bernie-sanders-philip-seymour-hoffman_n_4746600.html

[cali]

3. Not saying it's not a serious problem- just as it is in many regions and states

I'm saying that article is ridiculous.

[JDPriestly]

4. Actually, apparently heroin has hit small towns.

My mother reported to me that they are having a problem with heroin deaths in her rather small Midwestern town. I was shocked to hear that. Apparently heroin has seeped out of the cities and into the countryside.

Where is it coming from? I wonder but could it be that it is coming from Afghanistan?

I ask that only because I recall that the soldiers in Viet Nam brought back their heroin and other drug habits with them. I have no hard evidence for my theory so if someone has a better one, go to it, but an influx of heroin and the fighting of absurd and very long wars in areas in which heroin is grown or readily available seem to go hand and hand.

Or is the heroin coming from India? Asia somewhere other than Afghanistan, say Pakistan?

I am not a marijuana fan, don't particularly favor legalizing it, wouldn't use it if it were legal, but it seems to me that the DEA should focus on drugs like heroin and cocaine and the illegal use of prescription drugs before they spend time and money on punishing marijuana-related offenses.

Anyone have good arguments against this? Please let me know because I am not firm in my opinion. The heroin could, I suppose come from South America, but where?

[cali]

5. yes, it's hit small towns, but c'mon Vermont is not the Heroin capital of the country. Not even

close.

there's all this hysteria going on about vermont and drugs, but this piece is literally laughable:

<snip>

I can’t count how many bodies of classmates and neighbors have been found in parking lots and on living room floors. In addition to the overdoses, there were also suicides—former neighbors and family friends who shot themselves to escape their addiction. And there were those who didn’t get physically hurt but nonetheless destroyed their lives, like the girl who grew up down the road from me who went to federal prison before she turned 20 for heroin trafficking and illegal weapons possession.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/02/vermont-heroin-capital-of-america-103280.html#ixzz2sk2cc69l


furthermore the author claims to have worked at the largest news radio station in the state: WCAX. There is no WCAX radio. It's a tv station. weird error to make.

but there's money to be had. Less than a month after Governor Shumlin's hysterical state of the state address which focused solely on prescription drug abuse and heroin, the state received a $10 million dollar grant. More will roll in, the worse it's painted.

[Comrade Grumpy]

11. Most heroin in the US comes from Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia.

Afghanistan's crop--90% of the global supply--goes to addict in Pakistan, Iran, the Middle East, and Europe.

[Fumesucker]

2. Now that cannabis legalization is gathering steam TPTB will require some new scare techniques

If you expect drug war rhetoric to remotely match reality you haven't been paying attention for the last forty years or so.

[WhiteTara]

6. Meth is the scourge in our state. nt

[kelliekat44]

7. Well well. Here we go again. Why is it so difficult to understand the overall American problem?

Two countries: one rich, one not; one white, one not; one in power, one not.

Drugs of all kinds have been poured into minority communities in inner cities all over America...it's been documented but not reported. Organized crime for over 70 years has focused on getting the children and parents in these places hooked to become permanent dysfunctional customers, damaging incentive, breaking up homes, fostering child abuse and spousal abuse, building natural, permanent crime infested area and pimping off the stolen goods and prostitution circles that earn lots of money in the alter economy. Law enforcement and legislators turned a blind eye as long as this vicious, organized crime system remained encapsulated within the neighborhoods and boundaries designated from those in power. But like any other enclosed economic system, purchasing power and new customers soon reach saturation and some customers wise up and try to stop the circle. Early on, when groups like the Black Panthers tried to educate and wean their prized children away from the system by offering some semblance of self worth and self-sufficiency they rapidly become pariahs and labeled as ...well read the history of drugs...but I dare say you already know the history. Fast forward to now when the drug culture has evolved from the inner city, through the hippie communes, thru main street, suburbia into rural enclaves. (Oh, BTW drugs were always a part of the Wall Street circle. They just had enough money to support their habit as they continued to fund the organized crime operation outside of Wall Street.)

Now it's a very visible problem with serious ramifications for the privileged elite who escape to places of relative anonymity but the horrible thing is...where ever an addict goes the addition goes too. The problem has infected the "carrier" community and they have become the new "hosts." And it ain't pretty. The US may well be in danger of falling to the addition state just as Russia has via alcoholism. Over time, it takes a nasty toll. I don't think the article is BS at all.

[cali]

8. so you actually believe that Vermont is the Heroin capital of the country?

it is not.

and that ridiculous claim that this writer can't even count the number of people she knows in Vermont who have died of heroin overdoses?

c'mon.

[kelliekat44]

13. I don't believe I said that. But I do believe that heroin is a major, major problem for the country

And quibbling over labels is not the answer. At least the governor is taking it seriously.

[frazzled]

9. Your governor disagrees with you

If you believe the heroin story is false, you should take it up with your governor, because he's the one that's been promoting it.

As you know, he devoted his entire State of the State address to "Vermont's full-blown heroin crisis." Here is his interview from January 9 with Judy Woodruff on PBS NewsHour.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/nation-jan-june14-heroin_01-09/

I don't care for Politico's reporting either, in general. But that doesn't mean we should think everything they say is wrong or made up.

[cali]

14. guess what my guv got yesterday? A 10 million dollar federal grant to address the problem

and I know that there's stuff in that article that's made up. period. c'mon, the author claims that she can't count the number of Vermont friends acquaintances she's known who have died of overdoses. she claims Vermont is the heroic capital of the country. oh and she claims to have worked at a radio station that doesn't exist. I read another piece by her on the same topic with even more hysterical claims.

btw, I really don't like Shumlin. supposedly the most progressive guv in the country, he has steadfastly refused to go along with the legislature in raising taxes on the wealthiest and has instead tried to cut services to those most in need.

[frazzled]

19. Whatever

I don't live in Vermont, so I really don't give a shit. Just close your eyes and proceed. Whatever your belief system tells you is true, you just keep clingin' to that.

BTW, you don't seem to like much of anybody. That's kind of sad.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

10. Everything from all things considered to Here and Now have mentioned it

When discussing new heroin epidemic. I believe most of current problem is high incidence of Dr.'s prescribing prescription opiates. As people become addicted and abuse the drug, many move to the cheaper alternative of heroin.

Maybe Vermont medical system prescribed opiates at higher incidence than other states.

[TeeYiYi]

12. "Here's Why Vermont Has The Highest Rate Of Illicit Drug Use In America"...

"I think Vermont is really in sort of a perfect storm because we're on that highway between Montreal, Boston, New York, and also going to Philadelphia," Cimaglio said. "You have to go through Vermont to get to some of the bigger cities like Boston, so it seems like some people are just trafficking along the way and Vermont is one of the stops."

Within the last year or so, she said, she's heard more stories of burglaries related to drug trafficking and more stories about people being arrested in Vermont who aren't from the state.

Seven Days, an independent newspaper in Vermont, reported earlier this year that large amounts of heroin have been coming into the state from big-city dealers who can sell the drug at a higher price in Vermont. The drug is coming from New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit.

A bag of heroin that would cost $5 in a big city can sell for as much as $30 in Rutland, Vt., the city's police chief James Baker told the newspaper. Vermont is seeing an uptick in heroin use, Cimaglio confirmed.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-vermont-has-a-drug-problem-2013-10#ixzz2sl1EcEKm

TYY

[cali]

16. I've read it. "heard more stories about burglaries. heard more stories....

anecdotal stuff is not statistics.

sure vermont has drugs. it has drinking, but the heroin capital of the country? uh no. shumlin wants federal dollars and he's good at that.

here's the guv:

GOV. PETER SHUMLIN, D-Vt.:

I mean, obviously, it's no more serious than the other states around us. I think, I hope that the difference is that I'm willing to confront it and, as governor, take it on head on. And, listen, here's the challenge. We have lost the war on drugs. The notion that we can arrest our way out of this problem is yesterday's theory.

<snip>

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/12/vermont-gov-confronts-deadly-heroin-crisis-as-public-health-problem/

[Agschmid]

21. Sign up for alerts from the Burlington PD.

I get emails from them daily and the amount of arrests due to heroin/drugs is astounding.

Also the drugs cause other incidents for example the quick stop on St. Paul St. at the base of Cliff St. has been robbed repeatedly... I'd bet that money goes right into the drug trade.

I am on my phone but could post some links later if you'd like?

[TeeYiYi]

23. From the article I posted...

... I found this to be telling from the Rutland police chief:

"Vermont is seeing an uptick in heroin use, Cimaglio confirmed."

An 'uptick' hardly justifies the title of "Heroin Capital."

That said, Vermont as a heroin crossroads 'between Montreal, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia' may hold a ring of truth. I think the title of "Heroin Capital" may be less about the citizenry succumbing to smack addiction and more about a potential pipeline surfacing, the logistics of distribution and the bad guys from surrounding states moving in to take advantage.

TYY

[grahamhgreen]

15. The war in Afghanistan deserves the blame for the influx of Heroin. Our troops protect the growers:

[Rex]

17. Drugs are addictive and don't care about demographics.

nt.

[cali]

18. it's about the making of a bullshit story.

look, I'm not saying there isn't heroin in vermont and addicts. I'm saying this is a story that has become ludicrous

the governor has admitted that the heroin problem in vermont is no greater than in other states. he was angling for federal money, and yesterday he got it. not a bad tactic, but the lazy MSM has made it into something it isn't:

Shumlin:

I mean, obviously, it's no more serious than the other states around us. I think, I hope that the difference is that I'm willing to confront it and, as governor, take it on head on. And, listen, here's the challenge. We have lost the war on drugs. The notion that we can arrest our way out of this problem is yesterday's theory.

[Rex]

20. Well...you know what I think about the M$M.

They KNOW that controversy makes them rating. In today's modern world, the M$M are the news makers as well as reporters. They control the entire system of information.

[Vinca]

22. I live near Brattleboro and there was an article in the paper last week about a bust on I-91.

The lady arrested had hundreds of bags of heroin in her car. It seems much of it comes north on the Interstate from Springfield, MA, and more comes south from Canada. Maybe the Northeast Kingdom is protected a little more because of geography.

http://www.vermonttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/RH/20140204/NEWS02/702049953