Last speaker is Amanda Vashon.

Welcome.

Amanda Vashon seems a little nervous.

She's in Concord, New Hampshire's state capital,

and she's about to testify before the State Senate's Health and Human Services Committee.

Amanda opens up a bright yellow folder.

She's got a printed copy of her speech in there.

Morning, Madam Chair, members of the committee. This is the first time I've done this, so bear with me.

Amanda Vash... Amanda starts out by talking about her job. She works for a community mental

health center as a drug court coordinator. Drug courts are special programs that can be offered to people who are

convicted of a crime and have substance use disorder. The drug court mandates a participant to

engage in long-term substance use treatment, random and frequent drug testing, community supervision.

I'm sitting right behind Amanda, ferociously tapping notes on my iPhone. It's a position I have

occupied dozens of times before in this same building, covering the legislature as a reporter for New Hampshire Public Radio.

But this time is a little bit different. Amanda is one of a handful of people testifying about Senate Bill 495.

It's a bill that advocates hope will bring more oversight to the substance

use disorder treatment field in New Hampshire. A bill, I'm told, has been long, long overdue.

And it's finally being proposed because of this, this podcast. At one point, Amanda looks up from her

notes. She decides to go off script.

I have worked in the drug court field for more than a decade.

I worked the majority of my career in Stratford County.

And when I listened to the 13-step podcast, I was left sick to my stomach because I have sent, as a part of a multidisciplinary team hundreds of people to

...