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Leah Vukmir on Drugs |
Tammy Baldwin (D): Yes. Early supporter of medical. Sponsored bill to remove federal penalties & let states decide.
Leah Vukmir (R): No. Opposes recreational use & believes that "as a Schedule 1 drug. it has very little medical use."
"Make no mistake about it: Tammy Baldwin let our veterans down at the Tomah VA," said Vukmir, a state senator from Brookfield. "To have sat on a report, to have been the only person in this congressional delegation to have known that a doctor was over-prescribing opioids, a veteran died and many others became addicted, to me, it's unconscionable."
The Tomah VA was wracked several years ago by a scandal involving over-prescription of opioids. Republicans accuse Baldwin of failing to act in 2015 on problems at the facility. Baldwin disciplined top aides for bungling whistleblower complaints about the facility, including sitting on an inspector general's report. Since then, Baldwin co-sponsored legislation that toughened opioid prescription guidelines and pushes education for VA providers.
"As a member of Governor Walker's Task Force on Opioid Abuse, I am pleased to join my colleagues as we unveil legislation that builds on the Legislature's efforts to combat opioid abuse in Wisconsin," said Vukmir who has more than 20 years' experience as a nurse practitioner. "It is critical that our communities have the tools necessary to combat the rising problems that stem from heroin abuse."
The legislation focuses on providing law enforcement training grants targeted at preventing drug flow into Wisconsin, offers funding for programming to prevent substance abuse, and gives grants to counties for medical-assisted treatment. This legislation will strengthen our law enforcement efforts and save lives. Additionally, the bill creates regional drug prosecutors to assist local District Attorney's prosecuting drug crimes.
The debate questions, presented by two panelists, covered a wide range of issues, including clean energy (he's for it, she's against it), high-speed rail (he's for it, she's against it) and stronger penalties for drunk driving (he's for them, she's against them).