Burlington mayor chides lawmakers for not addressing opiate crisis with sufficient urgency

BURLINGTON — More than 100 people crowded into Contois Auditorium at City Hall for a town hall meeting Thursday evening on the opiate addiction crisis facing the region.

Mayor Miro Weinberger said that despite diligent and well-intentioned efforts from a broad array of stakeholders, opiate addiction continues to tear apart families, drive crime and take lives at an unprecedented rate in Vermont.

He said that while Vermont has made progress toward treatment on demand, there are still nearly 200 people — mostly in Chittenden County — on a waitlist for a medication assisted treatment program. The mayor chided the Legislature for not doing enough to address what he said is one of the state’s most pressing problems.

“So far, the Legislature is not treating this with sufficient urgency this session,” he said.

Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2017/03/17/burlington-mayor-chides-lawmakers-for-not-addressing-opiate-crisis-with-sufficient-urgency/