No safety in injection sites
In the battle against the scourge of opioids, innovative approaches should be on the table, but so-called “safe injection sites” will do more harm than good.
However, “safe injection sites” could be coming to Massachusetts in the near future.
In a panel called “America is Watching,” hosted by William James College in Newton, community leaders, politicians and substance abuse experts gathered at the Back Bay Events Center to tackle the opioid crisis in New England.
Dr. Dennis Dimitri, chairman of the Massachusetts Medical Society, said his organization will endorse the opening of “safe injection sites.”
“We don’t want anyone using illicit drugs, but while they’re going to do it anyway, let’s reduce the risk and get them into treatment,” Dimitri said. He added that opening the sites — medically supervised injection centers that provide clean needles — will decrease the incidence of overdoses, public nuisance and crime.
According to Dimitri, the Massachusetts Medical Society will consider a pilot program to study the feasibility and impact of the sites.
In our opinion, having the commonwealth sanction “shooting galleries,” where there are no consequences for taking drugs, is irresponsible and would enable those in the throes of addiction.
As we’ve noted previously, there is an insightful 2016 CBC Radio interview with a young woman battling addiction about “safe injection sites.” She insisted that such sites would have exactly the opposite effect as intended. “When I was an addict,” she said, “I didn’t have anywhere to go. I’d be in stairwells, I’d be in bathrooms, I’d be in the malls. Having somewhere to go, where everybody is shooting up, it’s almost like a dream come true.”
Gov. Charlie Baker has vehemently opposed the sites, as has Mayor Marty Walsh. “I just don’t see how that helps,” Walsh said. “I actually think you hurt the addict because now they’re going to be preyed upon more by the drug dealers because they know where they are all day long.”
Beacon Hill has so far held the line against “safe injection sites.” We must not abandon the battle against opioids on any front. Progress is being made by using a multipronged approach and we must continue forward.