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San Francisco Strikes Nearer to Opening Supervised Injection Websites for Drug Customers – NBC Bay Space

San Francisco sanctioned centers that allow people to freely use illegal drugs indoors under the care of trained staff may soon be a reality. On Thursday, a trio of lawmakers from the city’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee approved legislation that would pave the way for the opening of monitored injection sites across the city.

Legislation would revise licensing requirements to allow such centers to open. Managers Catherine Stefani, Matt Dorsey and Joel Engardio voted to bring the proposal to the full board for a vote next Tuesday.

While critics argue the sites condone illicit drug use, proponents say the centers save lives by taking drug users off the streets to restrooms where they can learn about rehabilitation services. Staff can also intervene in an emergency by administering naloxone, an antidote to drug overdose that has been shown to prevent drug-related deaths.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has long maintained that attended injection sites violate federal law, meaning anyone using them or even working in them could be prosecuted. The centers also violate state law. Though Governor Newsom is known for his progressive policies, last year he vetoed a plan that would have allowed injection sites to be opened on a trial basis in select cities, including San Francisco.

Despite the ongoing legal hurdles, the legislation’s main sponsors, Mayor Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen, have said they hope to limit liability to the city by emulating what New York City achieved in November 2021 – which opened the Big Apple the nation’s first supervised building injection site without relying on taxpayers’ money but using private funds.

Similar websites have been operating in other countries for decades to reduce the number of drug overdose deaths. To better understand how these centers work, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit traveled to Canada in 2018 to see the sites firsthand and speak directly with the center staff and drug users who use the facilities. Today there are about a dozen monitored injection sites in Vancouver.

Ronen’s office hopes to open three supervised injection centers in San Francisco by the end of the year.

If a majority of regulators approve the plan next Tuesday, the legislation would require a second majority vote during the subsequent Feb. 28 board meeting, as is typical for proposed regulations.

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