Vermont Governor Vetoes Bill for Overdose Prevention Center with Safe Injection Site
Vermont Governor Phil Scott has vetoed a bill that would have allowed the creation of a pilot overdose prevention center in Burlington, the state’s largest city. The center would have included a safe injection site where people could use narcotics under the supervision of trained staff and receive treatment if they overdose.
In a letter to lawmakers, Governor Scott, a Republican, expressed concerns about the cost of the project and the potential diversion of funds from other prevention and recovery strategies. The Democratic-controlled Legislature is expected to attempt an override of the veto next month.
The legislation, an act relating to a harm-reduction criminal justice response to drug use, would have allocated $1.1 million in fiscal year 2025 to the Vermont Department of Health to award grants to the city of Burlington to establish such a center. The money would have come from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund made up of Vermont’s share of a national settlement with drug manufacturers and distribution companies.
Before the center could be established, the bill required the Health Department to contract with a researcher or consultant to study the impact of the overdose prevention center pilot program.
The center would have provided referrals to addiction treatment as well as medical and social services. It would also have offered education about overdose prevention and distributed overdose reversal medications.
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth, a Democrat, said in a statement on Thursday that “the dramatic rise in fatal overdoses over the past ten years is one of the most pressing crises facing our state.” He said overdose prevention centers save lives, connect people to treatment, reduce pressures on emergency departments and Emergency Medical Services, and decrease drug consumption in public.
Governor Scott had previously vetoed a similar bill two years ago.
