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Philadelphia supervised injection site plan gets backing from attorneys general in 7 states [inquirer.com]

 

By Aubrey Whelan and Jeremy Roebuck, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 11, 2019.

The top law enforcement officials in seven states and the District of Columbia are saying that states should be allowed to open supervised injection sites to help stop overdose deaths, and that the federal government should not interfere with such public health programs.

In a friend-of-the-court brief filed in the federal lawsuit against Safehouse, the nonprofit planning to open a site in Philadelphia, attorneys general from D.C., Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Virginia argued that in the middle of an opioid epidemic that has killed tens of thousands, states “need the freedom to implement innovative treatment programs to save lives."

Framing it as a states’ rights issue, they wrote that the federal government should not preclude them from exploring many public health options, including supervised injection sites.

None said explicitly that their state plans to open such facilities, where people can use drugs under medical supervision, be revived if they overdose, and access treatment. Still, the brief marked the first time in some states that such high-ranking prosecutors have publicly announced support for the idea.

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