HB 6090, An Act Establishing Pilot Program to Make Opioid Antagonists Available in Vending Machines

Today, there is widespread recognition that disordered substance use is, fundamentally, an illness to be treated and not a criminal problem to be punished. In fact, drug addiction is classified as a disability protected under the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Despite this, Connecticut and the rest of the U.S. have insisted on addressing the public health problem of addiction through criminal law for decades. This decision is inappropriate, ineffective, a major driver of civil liberties violations, and a massive contributor to mass incarceration. We need to tackle the opioid crisis with public health and epidemic responses to combat the rising number of deaths, and not by further entrenching policing in the problem. We support bills like House Bill 6090 that approach the opioid crisis through a lens of harm reduction.