San Francisco is in the process of allowing local non-profits to open so-called supervised injection sites in the city, a step that local Democratic leaders say would limit overdoses among drug users but a program that has been met with opposition by the state’s leadership.
The areas, also known as overdose prevention sites, allow users to bring previously obtained drugs, such as heroin and fentanyl, under the supervision of staff trained to respond in the event of an overdose or other medical emergency. They also provide counseling and referrals to other social and health services. Opponents, however, are concerned such sites would promote and normalize drug use and attract crime.
A bill introduced on Tuesday that has the support of Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, would repeal an existing 2020 ordinance that would have allowed the city to issue permits for “overdose prevention programs” in compliance with an effort then underway in Sacramento.
But a bill in the state Assembly died in committee that summer – the sites remain illegal at state and federal levels and are thus ineligible to receive public funding – so San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors will now decide whether to move forward on its own by allowing local non-profits to operate the sites with private funding “before federal and state legal issues are resolved.”
“Overdose prevention sites can be part of a comprehensive strategy that can save lives and address open-air drug use in our communities,” Breed said in a statement last week. “Fentanyl is challenging us like never before, and in addition to opening up these sites, we have to work with law enforcement to close the open-air drug markets and ensure that our neighborhoods feel improvements as we bring these resources to bear.”
The city bill is now before a committee ahead of a full vote by the 11-member Board of Supervisors. If approved, the mayor’s office believes non-profits could immediately move to open sites.
