The Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation and Norwich University present, “What Ails Vermont – Is There a Cure to the Drug Epidemic?” a special event featuring Gov. Peter Shumlin, state leaders and Norwich faculty to kick off the Foundation’s national 2014 speaker series. This will be held on Tuesday, April 8, at 4pm in Plumley Armory on the Norwich campus.

The event will open with keynote remarks by Gov. Peter Shumlin and be followed by a panel of experts who will address the recently realized statewide issue of opiate addiction. The panel will focus on prevention strategies, an under-discussed area in the ongoing statewide discussion.

This event is free and open to the public and culminates with a reception with light refreshments.

Panelists include:

· Harry Chen, M.D., Commissioner, Vermont Department of Health, with perspectives on prevention

· Colonel Tom L’Esperance, Vermont State Police Commander, with perspectives on law enforcement

· David Orrick, Ph.D., Lecturer, School of Justice Studies and Sociology, who has been teaching a regular course on drug abuse and crime since 1979, which explores the challenges caused by the use of both legal and illegal drugs

· Max Schlueter, Ph.D., School of Justice Studies and Sociology, and Director of the Vermont Center for Justice Research, who analyzes statewide crime data for the purpose of informing policy making.

The panel will be moderated by Sarwar Kashmeri, trustee, Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation and Norwich University adjunct professor.