state to explore this concept. While the bill also allows private insurers to operate in the state indefinitely As of January 2014, Shumlin remained committed to full implementation of single-payer health care, starting in 2017. In the interim, Vermont has been a willing participant in the Affordable Care Act. As was the case with the federal health-exchange website, Vermont's website, VermontHealthConnect.gov, also experienced difficulties as the deadline for implementation approached in late 2013; it was the product of the same software vendor. In his January 2014 State of the State Address, Shumlin emphasized a single theme: the rise of opiate addiction in Vermont. He framed the challenge of opiate abuse as greater in scope than the recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. He offered a four-point plan to address opiate growth: Fund more treatment to shorten wait times for those willing to accept help. Allow drug offenders to quickly enter treatment programs when they are ready to change their behavior, bypassing the normal judicial process to allow rapid treatment. Tougher punishments for drug-runners and armed burglars. Crowdsourcing new ideas to prevent addiction. Shumlin observed that, "It's when the blue lights are flashing and cold reality sets in that we have our best shot [at persuading opiate users to seek treatment]". 2013 events January 10: Shumlin gave a State of the State Address that emphasized improving education from kindergarten through college in Vermont in order to make the Vermont labor force more appealing to prospective employers. May 22: Shumlin signed a bill making physician assisted suicide legal throughout Vermont. June 6: Vermont became the 17th state to decriminalize cannabis. Shumlin signed a bill that made possession of less than an ounce of the drug punishable by a small fine rather than arrest and possible jail time. December 9: He was re-elected in December 2013 to be chair of the Democratic Governors Association for the year, 2014. 2014 events January 8: Shumlin gave a State of the State Address with a single theme—the rising rate of opiate abuse in Vermont. January 15: A Shumlin administration official, Mark Larson, announced that the Vermont Health Connect website implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act was unavailable to small businesses enrollments, requiring direct enrollments with insurance companies until further notice. Third term 2015 events On June 8, 2015, Shumlin announced he would not seek a fourth term in 2016. In contrast to other governors, who stated