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DENVER (AP) – Despite opposition from the federal government, Denver is again trying to become what could be the first US city to open a supervised drug injection site, a strategy that several liberal cities have attempted several times to launch to reduce the number of overdose deaths fueled by a national opioid epidemic.
Denver City Council voted Monday 12-1 to approve a measure that would allow a site to open for at least two years as part of a pilot program. But there are still many obstacles to overcome.
The program must obtain the approval of the state legislature, which is now under democratic control after this month's elections. Earlier this year, the state Senate controlled by Republicans killed similar legislation.
Despite the Democratic advantage of the session that begins in January, elected Democratic Governor Jared Polis has not taken a stand on this issue and could veto the measure.
If successful, Denver may have the country's first publicly sanctioned site to allow people to consume heroin, methamphetamine and other illegal drugs under medical supervision, with staff capable of 39, intervene in case of overdose.
Supporters say it is a safer alternative for those who are not ready for rehabilitation, while opponents say it tolerates dangerous drug use. Facilitating the use of illegal drugs is a federal crime, and the US government has said it will not stay there if cities decide to open such sites.
Other US cities, including San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Philadelphia, have expressed interest in opening supervised injection sites. California lawmakers passed a measure that would have protected workers and participants from a San Francisco pilot program against lawsuits, but Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the project in September.
A private non-profit organization is raising funds for a supervised injection site in Philadelphia, but has postponed its potential opening date from January to mid-March, the Safehouse Group announced. . While Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said he would not sue anyone who would provide medical surveillance in the premises, state and federal officials said they would not legal.
Former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, who sits on the Safehouse board, said he was ready to go to jail to try a new life-saving approach in Philadelphia, where the opioid death rate is the highest of any major US city. There were more than 1,200 fatal overdoses last year.
Drug overdoses were the second leading cause of death in Denver last year, killing 201 people. They died in places such as grocery stores, abandoned buildings and along a bike path, according to death reports reviewed by the Denver Harm Reduction Action Center, the most big needle exchange center in Colorado. It is proposed to host the secure injection site.
Once users receive a clean needle, they must now leave the center, which faces the Capitol, and inject drugs into the streets and surrounding streets, said Executive Director Lisa Raville.
The cities' efforts come as federal officials have vowed to crack down on injection sites. US law includes a "crack house" law that allows you to knowingly maintain a place to use a controlled substance.
In an editorial published in the New York Times in August, a few days after California lawmakers passed their measure, US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said cities and counties that allow such sites should be safe. Wait for "aggressive and quick action" by the Ministry of Justice.
In Denver, the measure's sponsor, Albus Brooks, said Tuesday that he was turning to the governor and legislative leaders to urge their support.
"I am hopeful that these members of the General Assembly will review the 1,000 drug overdose deaths in our state (in 2017) and promptly pass this bill," said Brooks, who learned how easy it was to become opioid-dependent during cancer treatment.
Elected Senator Brittany Pettersen, who sponsored the state-wide prior legislation, said she had bipartite support for another attempt to allow at least one injection site. The Denver suburban Democrat thinks it's "very likely" that he will pass next year, but downplayed the importance of the Democratic bend at the Statehouse.
"It's about keeping people alive today and making sure they get the help they need tomorrow," said Pettersen, whose mother struggled for years against opioid addiction.
She and the state's representative, Leslie Herod, traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, to learn about her supervised injection site last year. The lawyers say that no overdoses have been reported locally or in approximately 100 publicly approved injection sites in Europe, Canada and Australia.
The only board member opposed to Denver's proposal, Kevin Flynn, said he was concerned that it was not aggressive enough to help people get treatment.
"A safe injection site is not a cure, it's like bringing a lung cancer patient into a smoking room and giving them more cigarettes," he said. -he declares.
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Claudia Lauer, Associated Press Editor in Philadelphia, contributed to this report.
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