Councilman wants city to have supervised druguse site
Facilities remain illegal under state and federal law
Councilman Albus Brooks wants to send this message to the Colorado legislature: The city of Denver is ready to host a facility where people suffering from addiction can use opioids and other drugs under medical supervision.
Brooks is introducing a bill that would open the door for a “supervised use” facility, also known as a supervised injection site, he said on Thursday. But the facilities remain illegal under state and federal law, and Brooks’ proposed bill would only take effect if it’s legalized by the Colorado legislature.
“I think it’s giving us an opportunity to lead — being very clear, for the state to understand that we in Denver want to see a pilot (program) to address this issue,” Brooks said.
He traces his own interest to his treatment for sarcoma, a cancer, which led to a twomonth reliance on opioid drugs.
“It just showed me how susceptible all of us are,” he said. “This is not a homeless issue; it’s a human issue.”
Supervised facilities are part of a “harm reduction” philosophy. By providing clean needles and immediate medical attention, they aim to prevent overdoses and other injuries and deaths from drug use. They also can connect drug users with treatment services.
The idea is widespread outside the United States.
Insite, a supervised facility in Vancouver, reported that staff intervened in nearly 1,800 overdoses in 2016. There have been no deaths at the facility, according to its operator. Dozens of other facilities across 10 countries have similarly safe track records, according to Lisa Raville, the director of the Harm Reduction Action Center in Denver.
Brooks’ bill would allow for a single superviseduse site in Denver, to be operated by a nonprofit or governmental group. The site would have to be at least 1,000 feet from schools and day care locations. More rules and regulations would be established down the road.
The bill goes up first for de bate before the council’s safety and housing committee Wednesday.
Long before a facility might open, though, the local proposal would have to get through several layers of scrutiny.
First, there’s the question of the Denver City Council, which would have to vote to approve it. Then there’s Mayor Michael Hancock, who could veto the bill. He declined to comment on Brooks’ bill last week, saying it was too early in the process. (The council can override a veto with nine of their 13 votes.)
Finally, even if the bill passes in Denver, there’s the question of the state legislature. Earlier this year, a Republican committee rejected a superviseduse proposal. Republican senators worried that the facilities would enable drug use.
“You’re creating, from my perspective, the ability to make it easier to do illegal things, and I just struggle with that,” said Senate President pro tem Jerry Sonnenberg of Sterling earlier this year. And critics often ask whether a facility will attract
more drug users to an area.
A 2014 review of scientific literature found that supervised injection sites have “fulfilled their initial objectives without enhancing drug use or drug trafficking.”
Still, leadership of the U.S. Justice Department also has warned that it will not tolerate supervised use sites.
“I’m not aware of any valid basis for the argument that you can engage in criminal activity as long as you do it in the presence of someone with a medical license,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told National Public Radio.
The idea may have another chance in Colorado if the midterm elections shift the balance of power in the statehouse.
In fact, supporters claim that they’re seeing more support from both sides of the aisle. The earlier state bill encountered little resistance from law enforcement and “found a lot of traction, as well, with the business community,” Raville said last week.
“Delays equal deaths,” she added.
“I definitely think there’s an option for this to pass in the state legislature,” said Rep. Leslie Herod, a backer of the earlier measure. “I think that there’s an appetite there from both Democrats and Republicans, and I look forward to bringing the measure forward.”
There are some 11,500 people who are known to inject narcotics in Denver and surrounding counties, according to Raville. The city reported 201 overdose deaths in 2017, compared to 174 in 2016 and 129 in 2015. About half the city’s overdoses this year involved opioids.