Healthcare (Substance Abuse)

S 120 creates the Community Care, Health, and Safety Special Fund using 40% of cannabis tax revenue and opioid settlement funds to support community harm reduction services for people with substance use disorder. It eliminates misdemeanor penalties for possessing or dispensing small personal amounts of drugs, instead requiring law enforcement to provide service referrals and health assessments. The bill establishes a Drug Use Health and Safety Advisory Board to define "personal use" quantities and prioritize health services over criminal penalties. This policy shift aims to reduce overdose deaths by redirecting resources from prosecution toward evidence-based harm reduction and treatment.

This bill requires Vermont's Department of Corrections to partner with local opioid treatment programs to provide medication for opioid use disorder (like buprenorphine or methadone) in correctional facilities. It ensures inmates with opioid use disorder can continue their prescribed medication upon admission and receive at least a 28-day supply upon release to maintain treatment continuity. The law updates existing medical care standards to mandate these partnerships through memorandums of understanding with community treatment providers. It directly affects incarcerated individuals in Vermont facilities who require opioid use disorder treatment, aligning their care with community-based treatment systems. The bill focuses on concrete policy changes to improve access to evidence-based treatment during incarceration and transition to community care.

Bill S 36 amends existing law by replacing the term "public inebriates" with "persons who are incapacitated." It requires the Departments of Health and Mental Health to prioritize expanding services for incapacitated individuals in Chittenden County and report on these efforts by February 2026. The Department of Corrections must also report on efforts to connect incapacitated persons in correctional facilities with substance use recovery providers. Additionally, the bill mandates reports from the Agency of Human Services and the Human Services Board by December 2025. These reports will propose improvements to the Human Services Board's appeal processes, focusing on attorney training, data collection, and making the process more accessible and consistent for appellants.