Just Say No?

Jeffrey Wennberg on Crime, Drugs, and Vermont’s quality of life

(Wennberg is a former mayor of Rutland)

On Monday, March 24th, the United States Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing in Rutland to look into the explosion of violent crime and drug offenses in Vermont. Sen. Patrick Leahy, who chairs the panel, notes that while violent crime is growing at 1 percent nationally, it is growing at ten times that rate in Vermont. Meanwhile Governor Douglas and law enforcement leaders have recently made page-one news with statewide drug busts netting crack cocaine, heroin and a significant number of big-city drug entrepreneurs.

And yet, just weeks ago, the Vermont Senate voted 22 to 7 to approve the bill that would give those caught with small amounts of marijuana the choice of participating in the Diversion program, and by so doing avoid a criminal record. Public opinion polls indicate a solid majority of Vermonters support the measure.

So why are they so upset with the burgeoning community dope market in Rutland and Barre, which merely supplies the adjunct desires? They believe a little bit of dope is just the thing to start the day.
Sensitive Vermonters wish to rehabilitate, not incarcerate, to prevent damage to tender psyches. Wagging fingers, wrist slaps and court diversion are the chastisements of preference.

Now that some of the capitalists wish to practice horizontal integration to corner the market, the locals become upset. Is something wrong with their laissez-faire policy that heretofore was undiscovered?
Purveyors of recreational drugs no longer are welcome in town. Now what to do. Since all these interlopers have poor self-esteem from bad potty training, hearing the word no spoken harshly, or poor schooling, Vermonters wished not to further ding their mellow. They simply asked them to go elsewhere.
Via incarceration and labeling, elsewhere however rejected them. The return hegira to Rutland, which holds self-esteem and image paramount produces quandary. For the prodigals are violent, bringing big city solutions to little city Vermont.

Stay tuned; let us see what actually happens after the legislative hand wringing phase. You know the good Senator Leahy has all the answers

Archived in: Crime, Drugs, Liberalism, Patrick Leahy, Vermont