Overview

Vermont

Note: This map displays features mentioned in the report.

Vermont is the eighth smallest state in the nation, encompassing 9,609 square miles, and is the second least populous state with nearly 609,000 residents. Burlington is the largest city in the state with a population of almost 39,000. The adjoining cities of Burlington, South Burlington, and Winooski together form the major population center in the state. This area, with over 61,000 residents, attracts retail-level drug distributors because of the relatively large customer base. 

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Fast Facts

Vermont
Population (2000)	608,827
U.S. ranking	49th
Median household income (1999)	$39,317
Unemployment rate (1999)	3.2%
Land area	9,609 square miles
Capital	Montpelier
Other principal cities	Barre, Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, Colchester, Essex Junction, Hartford, Milton, Rutland, South Burlington, St. Johnsbury, White River Junction, Winooski
Number of counties	14
Principal industries	Agriculture, manufacturing, tourism

Vermont is an ethnically homogeneous state, making it difficult for criminal groups from different ethnic backgrounds to blend easily with the resident population and distribute drugs. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 96.8 percent of Vermont's population is Caucasian. During the late-1990s Dominican criminal groups distributed wholesale quantities of drugs, primarily cocaine and heroin, in Vermont. However, members of these groups were not able to easily conceal their illegal activities, and they subsequently moved to more ethnically diverse states to distribute drugs. Drugs distributed in Vermont are now typically purchased out of state, usually in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, primarily by local independent Caucasian dealers. The dealers return to Vermont to distribute the drugs at the retail level.

Vermont borders three states and Canada. The state has an extensive transportation infrastructure, making transportation of legal and illegal goods into and through the state relatively easy. Vermont shares a 242-mile border with New Hampshire, a 189-mile border with New York, a 41-mile border with Massachusetts, and an 89-mile border with Canada. (See map.) Interstate highways 89, 91, and 93 provide direct access to drug distribution centers in the region. Interstates 91 and 93 connect with I-95 (the primary north-south route on the East Coast) in the New Haven and Boston areas respectively. Interstate 89 connects Burlington and Montpelier with I-91 at White River Junction and with I-93 at Concord, New Hampshire. Interstate 89 ends at the U.S.-Canada border at the Highgate Springs Port of Entry and joins with Provincial Road 133, a smaller road that provides access to Montreal via Quebec Autoroutes 35 and 10.

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Passenger rail service is available on two trains serving Vermont, both of which provide opportunities for the transportation of illegal drugs. One train offers daily service between St. Albans, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., making 24 stops in nine states including 1 in New York City. The other train offers daily service between Rutland, Vermont, and New York City, making 10 stops in two states.

Burlington International Airport is Vermont's only international airport. In 2000 a discount airline company in Vermont began offering $49 one-way flights between Burlington International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York City. This stimulated competition, and soon another airline company offered $99 round-trip jet service between Burlington International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. The competition among airline companies on this route keeps fares low, resulting in increased passenger volume. This increase in passenger volume reduces the risk of exposure for drug couriers, allowing the couriers to blend in with the other passengers. The Burlington Police Department is concerned that criminal groups and independent dealers are increasingly using this method to transport drugs into the state.

Wholesale distribution of drugs in Vermont is rare; most retail-level distributors travel outside the state to purchase drugs. Local independent Caucasian dealers are the dominant powdered cocaine and heroin distributors in Vermont. These dealers typically travel by vehicle to Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York to purchase cocaine and South American heroin, primarily from Dominican criminal groups. New York City remains the primary distribution center for the region. Most of the heroin and cocaine available in Vermont is transported directly from New York City or from secondary distribution centers in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The number of crimes recorded annually in Vermont declined from 1997 to 2000; however, the number of drug-related crimes increased each year during that period. According to the Vermont Crime Report, the total number of crimes reported annually by state and local law enforcement officials in Vermont decreased approximately 6.6 percent from 75,871 in 1997 to 70,831 in 2000. During that period, the number of drug-related crimes increased 27.1 percent from 2,052 in 1997 to 2,608 in 2000. (See Table 1.) The dramatic increase in the number of drug-related crimes indicates that the drug threat to the citizens of Vermont is increasing.

Table 1. Vermont Crime Report, 1997-2000

*Part I Crimes: homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
**Part II Crimes: forgery, fraud, embezzlement, stolen property, vandalism, sex offense, drugs, family/child, liquor violations, disorderly conduct, simple assault, weapons, prostitution, gambling, vagrancy, DUI, and other.

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Federal sentencing data also reflect an increase in the number of drug-related crimes in Vermont. The number of federal drug sentences in Vermont increased over 107 percent from 41 in fiscal year (FY) 1998 to 85 in FY2000, compared with the nationwide increase of 14 percent from 20,618 to 23,423, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. (See Table 2.) The number of heroin-related sentences increased 550 percent from 4 in FY1999 to 26 in FY2000, more dramatically than for any other drug. (See Table 3.) Additionally, 51.5 percent of federal sentences in Vermont in FY2000 were drug-related, compared with the national average of 39.8 percent.

Table 2. Federal Drug-Related Sentences, Vermont and Nationwide, FY1996-FY2000

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Sentencing Commission, FY1996-FY2000.

Table 3. Federal Drug-Related Sentences, by Drug Type, Vermont, FY1996-FY2000

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Sentencing Commission, FY1996-FY2000.

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Federal seizure data support law enforcement reports indicating that wholesale distribution of drugs in Vermont is extremely limited. Federal law enforcement officials seized few kilograms of heroin or cocaine from FY1998 through FY2000. Kilogram quantities of marijuana were seized in FY1999 and FY2000 but less frequently than they had been in FY1998. (See Table 4.)

Table 4. Drug Seizures by Kilogram, Vermont, FY1995-FY2000

Source: DEA, Federal-wide Drug Seizure System, FY2000.

State treatment data indicate that an increasing number of individuals in Vermont abuse heroin, other opiates and synthetics, and marijuana. According to the Vermont Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs, the number of heroin admissions increased 230 percent from 113 in FY1996 to 373 in FY2000, more than the percentage increase for any other drug. (See Table 5.) The number of admissions for other opiates and synthetics (including morphine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, and propoxyphene) increased 200 percent from 70 in FY1996 to 210 in FY2000. The number of marijuana admissions increased 36 percent from 897 in FY1996 to 1,223 in FY2000. The annual number of admissions for cocaine and methamphetamine abuse remained relatively constant.

Table 5. Drug-Related Treatment Admissions, by Drug Type, Vermont, FY1996-FY2000

Source: Vermont Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs, FY1996-FY2000.

A significant percentage of Vermont youths report abusing or knowing adults who abuse or sell drugs in the state. According to the 2001 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 42 percent of high school students reported having abused marijuana at least once in their lifetime, 7 percent reported having abused cocaine, and 3 percent reported having abused heroin. In the same study, 58 percent of respondents reported that marijuana and 23 percent reported that cocaine, LSD, or amphetamines were "easy" or "very easy" to obtain. Further, 56 percent of the respondents reported that they knew adults who had abused drugs in the past year, and 32 percent reported that they knew adults who had sold drugs in the past year.

The financial impact on Vermont's government from substance abuse-related costs is significant. In 1998 Vermont spent over $134 million on substance abuse-related program areas including justice, education, health, child-family assistance, mental health-developmental disabilities, and public safety. This figure amounted to approximately 12 percent of the total expenditures for the state, the twelfth highest percentage in the nation. When factoring in the cost of lost productivity and nongovernmental expenses by private social services, estimates for total substance abuse-related costs were even higher.

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