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San Francisco is expected to soon become the first city in the country to have safe-injection sites, facilities where people could use drugs under the supervision of staff trained to treat and prevent drug overdoses.
California Assembly Bill 186 is awaiting the Governor's signature. It would allow the city and county of San Francisco to open overdose prevention programs. Staff would be on-site and ready to treat anyone who may overdose. They would also be able to provide people with drug treatment options, housing and other services, according to the bill.
Assembly Member Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) wrote the bill. An earlier version of it would have included more counties; Alameda, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Mendocino and San Joaquin. Instead, lawmakers focused on San Francisco because the idea has strong support from their board of supervisors, mayor, district attorney, and sheriff.
The idea has generated a lot of debate online, so we took some of our viewer questions straight to Assembly Member Eggman.
Why are overdose prevention sites needed?
Eggman said the sites are one more tool in the fight against the opioid crisis. Lawmakers say research has shown people who use safe injection sites are more likely to enter treatment and more likely to stop using drugs.
Eggman added the overdose prevention sites could end up saving taxpayers money.
"It's going to save money because you're not going to have as many 911 people responding to people calling somebody overdosed in the streets," Eggman said. "You're not going to be having the amount of people in the emergency room hopefully with overdoses and with other things that go along with I.V. drug use."
One of the unique aspects of the overdose prevention centers is the emphasis on building relationships that might lead to treatment.
"Somebody comes in they are not treated as though we're going to arrest them. Or they're not treated as though they are trash," Eggman said. "They are treated as though they are human beings who suffer from addiction."
Will the program expanded beyond San Francisco County?
The bill, as passed, sets up a pilot program in San Francisco County only and is set to expire in 2022.
Eggman represents the Stockton area and included San Joaquin County as a possible site in earlier versions of the bill. However, she doesn't think the program is coming to San Joaquin County at this point. Eggman mentioned Los Angeles County as one other area in California that could be open to the idea.
Drugs are illegal, so how are safe injection sites not breaking the law?
This is a question we received from several viewers, including Laronda, who asked, "Isn’t that Illegal... meth... heroine [Sic]... user are breaking the law... possession.. why do we have laws if there [sic] not enforce... [Sic]"
"Well, so is marijuana," Assembly Member Eggman said, adding she feels there are other issues the Federal Government needs to be focusing on.
"Can a federal prosecutor come in? I mean, potentially," Eggman said. "And they can do that anywhere in any of our medicinal marijuana shops too."
Eggman said something needs to be done to address the opioid crisis and telling people to stop using doesn't work.
Do safe injection sites enable drug users?
Critics of safe injection sites often say they encourage drug use. We heard that from several of our Facebook followers, including Greg, who posted, "officials are condoning blatent [Sic] drug use throughout the city."
Shelly added, "No. It’s telling them it’s ok to do this."
When asked to address the concern, Eggman said she doesn't believe that is the case.
"This is a demographic of people who are mostly living on the streets, using on the streets," Eggman said. "I don't think providing them a clean place to be able to use where they're not laying on the street, on the sidewalk, potentially overdosing in an alley by a school. I think getting them someplace safe to use is not what we consider enabling but considering being part of the safety net."
Good Neighbor Policy
The bill calls for establishing a good neighbor policy in the area where the overdose prevention clinics would be set up. There could be some concern by residents and businesses in the area that is chosen for the center, but Eggman says having a clinic nearby, could actually be a good thing.
"You need to set them up where people already are hopefully already attached to some kind of clinic or health care service that is already serving that demographic," Eggman said. "And so by, sort of by, definition, anybody who lives around that area has already become accustomed, probably wondering what are we going to do with people using on the streets. And hopefully, it'll be even a better neighbor policy because you'll have a place to direct people."
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