[goingreene]

Hi everyone!

My family and I have wanted to move to Vermont for about 10 years now and it looks like we may finally be able to pull it off. However, and please do not take offense to this, I've read a lot lately about the heroin problem in Vermont. Can anyone elaborate? My family and I are not drug users and have common sense about staying away from areas where this type of activity may be more prevalent. But that's where you come in. Everything I've read makes it sound like it's everywhere. Is this true? Is it located more in some areas than others? Is there any advice you can give someone looking to move into Vermont? Areas that seem better than others? Or worse?

Again, please do not take offense, I just need to make an informed decision. Hope you understand. I appreciate anything you can suggest or tell me.

Thanks in advance!

[EastwardBound]

I'm looking to move to Vermont too and I too am now concerned about the heroine problem I've been reading about in the news. I can't imagine it could be any worse than in a big city. It will be interesting to see what local posters have to say.

[goingreene]

Me too! I figured people already living there would definitely know. Sometimes the media sends out an alarm when there's no reason, so I'm really hoping for some good info.

[vter]

Drugs are everywhere. Yes they are in Vermont. We only have a little over 600,000 people in the entire state so yes, the numbers are a tad scary. Out of state drug dealers are buying up the drugs cheap in the metro areas to the south, bringing them up here, recruiting people and making quite a profit. I'm glad our governor is acknowledging the issue and is trying to make a change.
If you want the drugs you can find them. If you don't partake then you most likely won't ever even see them. As I stated in another post I've never seen heroin and I've lived here 30 years. Doesn't mean it's not here though. Its just not something that people "partake" in in my family or social circle.

[Hopes]

Oh, God. Another Vermonter blaming it on out of state drug dealers.

Yes, it's everywhere in the country, but it's especially prevalent in Vermont. There is no area that is untouched by it. My family does not partake in it, and we've encountered many addicts. I haven't actually seen them doing it, but one of my children saw it within a month of living in Vermont four years ago. A few of his Vermont friends have subsequently became heroin addicts over the past few years. None of his out of state friends did. I actually became better at identifying heroine addicts based on appearance via my time in Vermont. They are a greater percentage of the Vermont population than my Pittsburgh metro. I'd move to Vermont now that I'm done raising a family, but I wouldn't consider it if my children were still young. When I discovered this problem after sending my child off to live in Vermont four years ago, I was so upset and felt I made the wrong decision. Fortunately, I raised my children well and it hasn't been a problem for us. It's not a battle I'd want to fight during the more impressionable peer pressure years of puberty.

[vter]

Sorry Hopes. A lot of the heroin is coming from out of state. Talk to any VT law enforcement officer. It is very cheap in the metro areas south of here and is being brought up here and resold for a huge profit. As I stated above, these out of state dealers are coming up here with the drugs and recruiting local people to work under them. Again, talk to any VT law enforcement officer (I have 2 in my family).

http://www.wcax.com/story/23728253/2...on-heroin-bust

http://www.wcax.com/story/24429387/rutland-heroin-bust

http://www.wcax.com/story/24320543/h...-interstate-91

http://www.wcax.com/story/21551122/m...n-the-mega-bus

[vter]

From the Governor's State of the Union Speech:
Every week, our Drug Task Force estimates more than $2 million of heroin and other opiates are being trafficked into Vermont.

• Due to our proximity to Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and other cities where heroin is cheap, dealers can make a lot of money from addicts in Vermont. A $6 bag of heroin in New York City can go for up to $30 here. So think about that: a $6 purchase could sell for five times as much, just a few hours up the interstate.

Gov. Shumlin's 2014 State of the State Address | The Official Website of the Governor of Vermont

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by vter

Sorry Hopes. A lot of the heroin is coming from out of state.

Heroin is coming from out of state for all states. They're not growing poppy fields in America.

The problem unique to Vermont is it has a greater percentage of users than most other states.

[happeemommee]

I've been wondering a lot if these same things. As someone who has no desire to use and would be new in town, would it be easy to tell what areas to stay out of? Are there towns that seem to have been more affected than others? What do think is the reason Vermont has been affected more than other areas?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by happeemommee

I've been wondering a lot if these same things. As someone who has no desire to use and would be new in town, would it be easy to tell what areas to stay out of? Are there towns that seem to have been more affected than others? What do think is the reason Vermont has been affected more than other areas?

My son thought he could tell by looking at a town, but many Vermonters can't afford to upkeep their properties so appearances aren't really a good rule of thumb. Rutland has a bad reputation but it's not the only town. It's not just the towns. There are heroin addicts in the more isolated areas too. It's everywhere.

IMO, Vermont is more affected than other states because it's almost entirely rural. The largest city is the size of a small town in most states. Rural America has been hit hard by drug addiction due to lack of employment. In a nutshell, Vermont doesn't have an urban population to offset the state numbers because big cities have lower addiction rates than rural areas.

It's important to understand that Vermont is a very safe place. It's not like the heroin problem will put you in danger while you're going about your daily life.