A secure injection website may very well be opening in San Francisco
The city of San Francisco is nearing the opening of a safe injection site that would be the first in the United States.
Mayor of London Breed on Tuesday passed a law to buy a property in the city to act as a safe injection site and provide behavioral health services. Next, the planned takeover will go through a public process with the Supervisory Board for approval.
A safe injection site, also known as a safe drug use site, provides a clean place where people can bring illegal drugs and use them with sterile supplies under the supervision of trained personnel ready to respond in the event of an overdose. The sites also serve as a bridge between drug users and services such as rehabilitation.
Critics argue that injection sites encourage drug use and crime in the surrounding neighborhood. Proponents cite research that suggests injection sites can reduce overdosing, risky behavior, and limit drug use in public spaces. Sites have been up and running in Europe for decades, and more recently Australia and Canada, but attempts to open them in the US have faced litigation.
The city has been considering opening a site for years, and while the federal government and state don’t legally allow injection sites, the city passed law last year to approve a site through an overdose prevention program, KTVU reported. In addition, State Senator Scott Wiener is pursuing laws that allow San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles to open them.
SFGATE contacted the mayor’s office for answers to questions about the potential location.
Q: Where would the proposed site open?
ONE: The city is considering a location in the Tenderloin district at 822 Geary St. and 629 Hyde St. (corner of Geary and Hyde), the mayor’s office said.
Q: How quickly could the site open?
ONE: It could open in the spring.
Q: What does the site cost?
ONE: $ 6.3 million.
Q: Who would pay for the project?
ONE: Money from Proposition C, a gross income tax measure for homeless assistance that was passed with 61% of the vote in 2018, would fund the project. Prop. C has raised millions in revenue, but funds have been tied up in a lawsuit following a lawsuit that argued that a two-thirds majority was required to pass the tax. A superior court judge in San Francisco ruled in 2019 that the tax was legal. An appeal was lodged against this judgment and a state appeals court upheld it in summer 2020.
Q: Who would be running the site?
ONE: “We are discussing with our non-profit partners about their ability to open and operate safe consumption programs directly for those in need,” said a statement from the mayor’s office. “The city is also looking into creating a city-sponsored program to work with nonprofits to operate sites, identify potential locations, and develop a strategy to ensure that the surrounding areas see a tangible difference on our roads. ”
Q: Will the site offer additional services?
ONE: “The suggestion is to use this website for a variety of behavioral health needs,” the city said. “The legislation does not dictate the type of services offered on the website.”
Bay City News contributed to this story.
