After weeks of studying Vermont's prescription drug problem, House lawmakers on Thursday advanced a sweeping bill that would address opiate addiction and abuse.

Spurred by stories of addiction from across the state, lawmakers this week are voting out of committees a wide-ranging bill aimed at minimizing the effects of opiate use on the health and safety of Vermonters.

A new research paper shows doctors in Vermont are feeling the stress of being on the front lines of the fight against prescription drug abuse. The report lays out several recommendations - including changing insurance policies so that non-drug therapies are covered. 

A Burlington doctor has pleaded guilty to one felony count of prescription fraud.

Drug related crimes have escalated across Vermont - mostly because of a surge in heroin and prescription drug abuse. In the second part of our series, VPR's Nina Keck reports for Rutland it's the northwest part of the city that's struggling most with drug-related crime.

Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire will get a total of $9.6 million as part of a nationwide settlement between the drug company Johnson & Johnson and dozens of states.

Federal prosecutors in Vermont say a Rutland man has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in a prescription drug selling ring.

Two men are facing charges of selling prescription painkillers following a three-week investigation by Colchester police.

One of the key issues facing lawmakers before adjournment involves access to the state's prescription drug database by law enforcement officials. The House is insisting that the police get a warrant from a judge before using the database but the Senate is arguing that the warrant isn't needed.

The Vermont Senate has given its final approval to legislation that backers say is needed to combat an epidemic of prescription drug abuse in the state.

Vermont's top public safety official says more people died in the state last year from overdoses of prescription opiate drugs and heroin than in car crashes and murders combined.

Pharmaceutical companies are underwriting a new program in Vermont that they say will help uninsured and under-insured people who are struggling to pay for prescriptions.

Vermont law enforcement officials say hundreds of pounds of prescription drugs have been collected in an effort to prevent overdoses and stem drug-related crimes.

VPR's Jane Lindholm talks with an agendt from the Drug Enforcement Administration and a U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont about the problem of prescription drub abuse on a local and national level.

We look at the abuse of prescription drugs and the efforts to curtail it, including this Saturday's Drug Take-Back Day. Also, VPR's Steve Zind speaks with Vermont National Guard members responsible for training police in Kabul.

Last year, Vermont enacted a law banning drug companies from providing free lunches to doctors. Now the state may go a step further by requiring the companies to disclose the free drug samples they give to physicians.

Vermont is looking at whether drug companies should disclose when they give free samples to physicians.

Addiction to heroin in Vermont has long been an issue - but now abuse of pharmaceutical drugs has eclipsed the heroin problem.

Vermont's rules are getting even tougher for pharmaceutical companies. We look at new restrictions on how drugmakers can interact with physicians, and what patients can learn about gifts their doctors have received. Also, an update on the political meltdown in Albany as the New York State Senate argues over who's in charge.