Vermont’s Radical Experiment to Break the Addiction Cycle

Vermont drew national attention in 2014 when Gov. Peter Shumlin devoted his annual address to the opioid scourge striking “every corner” of a state better known for its rural charm and fall foliage. State lawmakers that year passed legislation authorizing state prosecutors in each county to design a novel program to send repeat low-risk offenders with substance-abuse or mental-health problems into treatment, using the possibility of prosecution as leverage.