H.189 is a Vermont bill designed to combat the public health crisis of drug overdoses by creating the Community Care, Health, and Safety Special Fund, which will provide grants for community-based harm reduction services and support for individuals with substance use disorders. The bill proposes to allocate 40 percent of the cannabis excise tax and a portion of the Opioid Abatement Special Fund to this initiative. It aims to decriminalize the possession and dispensing of personal use amounts of regulated drugs, ensuring individuals found with such quantities receive health service information and incentives for participating in needs assessments. Additionally, the bill establishes the Drug Use Health and Safety Advisory Board to determine benchmark personal use supplies for regulated drugs and oversee grant distribution.

Key amendments in the bill include the introduction of the term "benchmark personal use supply," which defines the quantity of a drug typically possessed for personal use, and the removal of methamphetamine from the category of depressant or stimulant drugs. Individuals possessing cocaine or other specified substances in amounts equal to or less than the benchmark personal use supply will not face criminal or civil penalties but will receive health needs screening information. The bill also establishes penalties for unlawful possession and distribution of larger quantities of drugs, emphasizing a balance between public health and legal consequences. Furthermore, it creates two special funds for substance use prevention and community care, mandates the development of health needs screening protocols, and outlines the management of unspent cannabis excise tax funds to ensure effective utilization for substance use prevention programming.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 18-4201, 18-4202, 18-4231, 18-4232, 18-4233, 18-4233a, 18-4233b, 18-4234, 18-4234a, 18-4234b, 18-4235, 18-4235a, 18-4774, 32-7909