IN Vermont, Governor Peter Shumlin has noted the state’s heroin problem and announced plans to curb it. Will he stick all drug takers in prison? No. The dealers get nicked. But the takers get help.

“We must address it as a public health crisis,” the Governor said. “providing treatment and support rather than simply doling out punishment, claiming victory, and moving on to our next conviction.”

Under policies now in effect or soon to take hold, people caught using or in possession of heroin will be offered the chance to avoid prosecution by enrolling in treatment. Addicts, including some prisoners, will have greater access to synthetic heroin substitutes to help them reduce their dependency on illegal narcotics or kick the habit. A good Samaritan law will shield heroin users from arrest when they call an ambulance to help someone who’s overdosed. The drug naloxone, which can reverse the effects of a heroin or opioid overdose, will be carried by cops, EMTs, and state troopers. It will also be available at pharmacies without a prescription. “This is an experiment,” Shumlin says. “And we’re not going to really know the results for a while.”

This is progress.