After years of failed attempts, lawmakers push ahead to open the controversial centers in San Francisco.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has long maintained that supervised injection sites violate federal law, meaning anyone using them or even working inside could face prosecution. The centers also violate state law. Governor Newsom, despite being known for his progressive politics, vetoed a plan last year that would have allowed injection sites to open on a trial basis in select cities, including San Francisco.
In spite of the ongoing legal hurdles, the legislation’s main sponsors, Mayor Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen, have said they hope to limit liability against the city by emulating what New York City accomplished in Nov. 2021 – the Big Apple opened the nation’swithout relying on any taxpayer dollars, instead utilizing private funds.
Similar sites have been operating in other countries for decades in an effort to reduce drug overdose deaths. To better understand how these centers work, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit in 2018 to get a firsthand look at the sites and speak directly with center staff and drug users who utilize the facilities. Today, Vancouver has roughly a dozen supervised injection sites.
Ronen’s office said it hopes to open three supervised injection centers in San Francisco by the end of the year. If a majority of supervisors approve the plan next Tuesday, the legislation would require a second majority vote during the subsequent board meeting on Feb. 28, as is typical for proposed ordinances.
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