Political Quotes

“8 years ago, I convened the first in a series of hearings in Vermont where the Senate Judiciary Committee examined the growing problem of drug addiction in rural communities. As we gathered in Rutland in March 2008, the mayor noted in his opening statement that there was a part of him that wished that the committee did not have to be there in his city that day. He wished that his community was not facing the scourge of drug abuse and addiction that was creeping across rural America. But in true Vermont fashion, Mayor Louras and the other community leaders, law enforcement officials, and health professionals who gathered with us that day in March 2008 did not shy away from the problem. Instead, we had an honest discussion about how to fight this problem together and about how the Federal Government could help. Over the past 8 years, we have continued this important conversation at other hearings I convened in St. Albans, in Barre, and again in Rutland. We have heard testimony from community leaders and officials throughout Vermont about the growing problem of opioid addiction. In St. Albans, for example, Dr. Fred Holmes told us tragic stories about teenagers getting hooked on OxyContin and other opioids and then committing crimes to support their habits. These stories have been heartbreaking.…”