2013 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Drugs
Pat McCrory:
Coordinated effort against cartel drug rings
Because this issue of drugs and alcohol are penetrating our families and our communities, I have instructed my Head of Public Safety to ensure that all state law enforcement officials will fight a coordinated effort against the cartel drug rings that
are currently in North Carolina as we speak. We cannot ignore them, we must identify them, and we must get them out of this state now. The sheriffs will tell you this. We need to let people know about this issue.
I also want to collaborate with our educational leaders to ensure that our schools and universities have a strategy to change the culture--to change the culture that I've seen first-hand--of binge drinking and so called recreational drug use.
There must be enforcement in our schools and universities of their own policies and enforcement of our laws. And in addition, we must offer help to these students who are doing harm to themselves and to their families.
Source: 2013 North Carolina State of the State Address
Feb 18, 2013
Maggie Hassan:
$500,000 for drug task force teams, but drop 1 team out of 4
Our drug task force teams are critical, supporting the efforts of small police departments to combat the growing problem of drug crimes, particularly those involving prescription drugs. But because of federal funding cuts, we were going to be
forced to drop to just one drug task force team. This budget provides $500,000 per year in general funds to allow us to continue operating three drug task force teams.
Source: 2013 State of the State N.H. Budget Address
Feb 14, 2013
Earl Ray Tomblin:
If you get high, you won't get hired--Drugs aren't working
For over 40 years this country has wrestled with drug abuse. This is more than a social problem, it's an economic problem. Too many people who can't pass a drug test go somewhere else--somewhere where they don't test--somewhere where it doesn't matter.
Source: 2013 State of the State Address to W.V. Legislature
Feb 13, 2013
Earl Ray Tomblin:
Substance abuse re-offenders cause prison overcrowding
It's no secret that West Virginia's correctional system is overextended. Statistics now show the number of people in our prisons is increasing at three times the national average. Last year, I brought together State and local leaders and research
professionals as part of an effort to find a solution to our outdated and overcrowded prison system.The Council of State Governments has succeeded in increasing public safety and reducing recidivism in states like Texas, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
I asked them to help me construct a plan--keeping public safety as our number one priority. What we learned was simple: substance abuse is a huge part of prison overcrowding, and the high re-offending rate intensifies the problem.
We must act now
to address these challenges. We must work to increase public safety and reduce habitual offenders. Their recommendations are projected to save the State of West Virginia over $116 million over the next six years while making West Virginia a safer place.
Source: 2013 State of the State Address to W.V. Legislature
Feb 13, 2013
Steve Beshear:
KASPER: KY All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting
We need to tweak House Bill 1, the landmark prescription painkiller legislation. But we are not going to backtrack on bringing integrity to prescription pain medication:- When it came to non-medical use of prescription painkillers, Kentucky at one
time had the 6th highest rate in the nation. But prescription drug abuse in Kentucky has dropped so much that we improved 24 spots.
- Furthermore, nearly half of the state's known pain management clinics have closed rather than submit to new rules that
protect patients.
- The use of our nationally recognized prescription monitoring program, KASPER, has increased nearly 7-fold as providers work to ensure that painkillers are being used legally and effectively.
- And prescriptions for some of the most
abused drugs have dropped up to 14% from a year ago.
As with most reform efforts, we can improve upon the new regulatory system. But we are not going to return Kentucky to the "prescription playground" that it was before House Bill 1.
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Kentucky Legislature
Feb 6, 2013
Steve Beshear:
Reduce historic addiction to tobacco with smoke-free law
Over the years, we've taken numerous steps to reduce Kentucky's historic addiction to tobacco. And yet we still rank either dead last, or next to last, in the number of adults who smoke, teens who smoke, and pregnant women who smoke. Our smoking-related
mortality rate is the worst in the nation.Yet we've never instituted a statewide law to protect Kentuckians from second-hand smoke. More than half the states in the nation have smoke-free laws. So do three dozen cities and counties in Kentucky.
In fact, nearly half of Kentucky's citizens live in communities that have adopted protections for their residents & workers. It's time for us to begin looking seriously at doing this on a statewide level--to extend this protection for all our citizens.
Six in 10 Kentucky adults now favor a statewide smoke-free law, and that support increases with each survey taken. This isn't a rights issue. People could still smoke. Just not in places where their smoke endangers the health of our workers and others.
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Kentucky Legislature
Feb 6, 2013
Mary Fallin:
Prevent prescription drug abuse from occurring
We need to get serious about addressing prescription drug abuse. While we have spent years successfully combating and reducing meth labs and the use of methamphetamines in Oklahoma, studies show that prescription drug abuse actually poses a greater
danger to our citizens.Currently, 81% of drug-related deaths in Oklahoma are caused by prescription drugs. One survey shows that nearly 8% of Oklahomans are abusing prescription painkillers.
That's twice the national average, and it is unacceptable.
As a state, it is time to offer the resources that prevent drug abuse from occurring in the first place.
We must work to make sure life-changing treatments are available to those who are struggling with addiction issues. To that end, I have allocated new funding to strengthen prescription drug abuse prevention and treatment initiatives.
Source: 2013 State of the State to Oklahoma Legislature
Feb 4, 2013
Jack Markell:
Six new state troopers to focus on gangs & drug-trafficking
The Delaware State Police and their county colleagues are working to reduce violent crime in the City of Wilmington. Those efforts include intelligence gathering, targeted investigations, and an emphasis on ensuring that our most violent offenders are
off the street. Last year, I authorized six new state troopers from the Violent Crime Fund to focus on the violent gangs and drug-trafficking groups that commit the majority of homicides in Delaware. This year, I propose funding for six additional
troopers with the same focus.We know what after-school and summer programs do for kids: research has demonstrated that they improve academic performance, reduce drop-out rates, reduce depression, improve self-control and self-esteem, and prevent risky
behaviors such as drug and alcohol use and juvenile crime. I will propose that we provide more opportunities for after-school and summer activities that get kids off the streets and give them exposure to the arts, nature, and physical activity.
Source: 2013 Del. State of the State speech
Jan 17, 2013
Nathan Deal:
BUI: Boating Under the Influence: if blood alcohol over .10%
This past summer, Georgia witnessed several tragic accidents on our waterways. We know alcohol is involved in over 50 percent of all boating fatalities each year. On Georgia's roads, if the operator of a vehicle has a
Blood Alcohol content of .08 or higher, he can be charged with Driving Under the Influence. However, you cannot be charged with Boating Under the Influence unless your Blood Alcohol level is .10 or higher.
The Jake and Griffin Prince BUI Law that I am proposing will change that. If you are too drunk to drive an automobile, you are too drunk to drive a boat!I will also propose, through the Kile Glover Boat Education Law,
that you place age limits and educational requirements on young operators of boats and personal watercraft and that children who are 13 or younger must wear life jackets when riding in an open boat that is moving.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Georgia Legislature
Jan 17, 2013
John Hickenlooper:
Now it's legal, but keep marijuana out of the reach of kids
Now it's legal, but keep marijuana out of the reach of kids
Some other amendments passed in November... one on federal campaign finance reform... and another, for the life of me I can't remember the third one. Oh yeah, Amendment 64. [legalizing medical marijuana].
Now it's legal, but keep marijuana out of the reach of kids
We need to expand our DUI law to keep our highways safe from those driving while impaired, and we must put in place consumer and
Source: 2013 Colorado State of the State address
Jan 10, 2013
Andrew Cuomo:
Criminalize synthetic marijuana and designer drugs
A 2012 Order for Summary Action effectively banning the sale of bath salts and synthetic marijuana in New York State. Known as "designer drugs," because they are synthetically manufactured compounds chemically similar to naturally occurring narcotics and
hallucinogens, bath salts and synthetic marijuana can be extremely dangerous substances linked to poisoning, accidental death and suicide. [The state] outlawed the manufacture, distribution, sale and possession of bath salts and synthetic marijuana.
This made law enforcement part of the solution, even if manufacturers make alterations to the drug's chemical structure.We must make designer drugs like bath salts & synthetic marijuana Schedule I drugs--on par with heroin, LSD, marijuana, & ecstasy.
Therefore, Governor Cuomo will propose legislation to criminalize the sale and possession of these substances, and ensure our laws give us the flexibility to immediately tackle the next iteration of designer drugs so not a single life is lost.
Source: NY Rising 2013 State of the State booklet
Jan 9, 2013
Dennis Daugaard:
More funding for drug courts; a bargain compared to prison
South Dakota has fewer drug courts than any other state in the country, but the drug courts we do have produce impressive results. Fewer than 20% of the graduates of South Dakota drug courts and DUI courts over the last five years have committed new
felonies. That is a remarkable success rate, because these offenders are repeat offenders. They are not first-time law-breakers who simply need a wake-up call. These are usually people with serious addictions to drugs or alcohol who have committed a
number of crimes in recent years. Getting 80% of them back on the right track is a real success, and my budget contains funding for expansions of two existing alternative courts and adds two more. Drug and DUI courts may be expensive compared to routine
probation, but they are a bargain compared to the costs of imprisonment. By holding offenders more accountable and by giving them one more chance to avoid prison, alternative courts are changing behavior and improving public safety.
Source: South Dakota 2013 State of the State Address
Jan 8, 2013
Dennis Daugaard:
Swift and certain sanctions for drug addicts
Hawaii's HOPE program is a lot like our 24/7 program, but it works with those abusing drugs, rather than alcohol. The system works because of swift and certain sanctions. Each morning, participating offenders must call into an automated drug testing
hotline, which will inform them whether or not they have been selected that day to come in for a drug test. Failing to show for their drug test will trigger automatic jail time. Failing the drug test will trigger automatic jail time. Hawaii has used the
HOPE program on hundreds of meth addicts, and offenders in HOPE have been 55% less likely to be arrested for a new crime. They are 72% less likely to use drugs. Here in South Dakota, we would like to begin this program with one urban pilot project
and one rural pilot project. If these pilots are successful, we can implement the program statewide.
Source: South Dakota 2013 State of the State Address
Jan 8, 2013
Page last updated: Dec 05, 2018