Safe Injection Sites in the U.S.

[NatureB]

I am learning about safe injection sites in America. We have to do something about the opioid epidemic, which is only growing under the Covid crisis as more and more people are desperate and see no hope. This thread is intended to spark a lively discussion about drug law, the war on drugs, solutions and projects around the country. Maybe someone can update us on data from Portland where recently a list of drugs have been decriminalized, or Denver where Psilocybin mushrooms have been decriminalized.

Currently Safehouse, a nonprofit based in Philadelphia, PA, is in a legal battle with the federal government about whether or not a good faith Supervised Injection Facility is against the law. Safehouse won a lawsuit against the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania regarding the legality of such a site, but is expecting pushback from the federal government. Their position is that a safe injection site does not go against federal law, but is in the same spirit of trying to help defeat drug use. From the Safehouse website, "By reducing ambulance rides, emergency room trips, and hospital visits, overdose prevention services are expected to save Philadelphia at least $2 million a year in health care costs." What is amazing about the work Safehouse is doing is that they are leading the fight for the first Supervised Injection Facility (SIF) in the U.S. Cities like Denver and New York City are watching patiently to see what happens. I feel like the tide is turning and things will pick up rapidly from here. More from their website:

"Why do we need overdose prevention services in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia is experiencing an overdose crisis of unprecedented proportion. In 2015, the city’s rate of 46.8 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents dramatically outpaced those of Chicago (11.8) and New York (13.7).[1], [2] In 2017, the 1,217 overdose deaths in Philadelphia [3] represented a 34 percent increase from 907 in 2016.[4] In 2018, fatalities slightly decreased to 1,116 overdose deaths.  Since 2009, overdose deaths in the city have risen by nearly 200 percent.[5] Philadelphia has not had a public health crisis of this magnitude in more than 100 years.[6] Across all racial and ethnic groups, more people have died from drug overdose than from homicide."

"Overdose prevention services:

SAVE LIVES by reducing the number of fatal drug overdoses through education on safer use practices, overdose prevention, and intervention.

REDUCE THE SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES such as HIV and hepatitis C among people who use drugs by providing and requiring the use of provided sterile consumption supplies.

CONNECT PEOPLE who use drugs with other health, treatment, and social services.

CREATE A SAFER COMMUNITY by reducing drug use in public spaces and publicly discarded paraphernalia."

I would say this is a stage green endeavor. On their website FAQ they say they operate from the belief that preservation of human life supercedes all other concerns.

Here is their website: https://www.safehousephilly.org/frequently-asked-questions

Check out this really cool graphic showing their model: