Sacramento – Senate Bill 57, authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), passed the Senate on a concurrence vote of X-Y– clearing its final legal obstacle. It now heads to the Governor.
SB 57 legislates overdose prevention programs, likewise referred to as safe consumption websites or safe injection websites, as pilot programs in San Francisco, Oakland, the City of Los Angeles, and Los Angeles County. The City Board or Board of Supervisors of each pilot jurisdiction has actually asked for to be consisted of in the legislation, and each will choose in your area whether to take part and to what level. SB 57 merely eliminates the state restriction that presently makes such programs unlawful. SB 57 is a pilot program that will run for 5 years, through January 1, 2028.
” California– like our country as a whole– is experiencing a significant and avoidable boost in overdose deaths, and we require every readily available tool to help people survive and get healthy,” stated Senator Wiener “Safe consumption websites are a tested design to help people prevent overdose deaths, minimize HIV and liver disease transmission, minimize syringe litter, and help people gain access totreatment This legislation isn’t about whether we desirepeople to use drugs Rather, it’s an recommendation that people * are * utilizing drugs, and our option is whether we desire to strive to help them endure and get healthy. The time has actually come for California to embrace this tested overdose death prevention technique.”
Given that the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, overdoses and substance use in general have actually increased substantially. For instance, San Francisco saw a record number of overdose deaths in 2020, with 711 deaths amount to. In 2021, 640 people passed away of overdoses. San Francisco is regretfully on track to satisfy or go beyond these numbers in 2022. Nationally, 100,000 people passed away of drug overdoses from April 2020 to April 2021, consisting of around 10,000 people in California This is a public health crisis, and it is avoidable.
Overdose prevention programs– which have actually been in presence for years in Europe, Canada, and Australia, with shown success– are monitored centers where those utilizing drugs intravenously or otherwise can do so more securely, with the objective of transitioning them intorecovery programs Over the years that more than 170 centers have actually run in other parts of the world, not a single overdose death has actually happened in one of them.
Rhode Island legislated safe consumption websites a number of years earlier, as did Philadelphia. Most just recently, New york city City opened 2 safe consumption websites, and in the very first 3 months of operation, staff at these websites were able to stop over 150 overdoses
Over an 18-month research study duration of Insite, a safe consumption site in Vancouver, 336 overdoses were reported– however in every circumstances, the individual overdosing lived. This is due to the fact that there were trained professionals onsite to administer live conserving treatments like Narcan, and getpeople emergency help Research studies likewise recommend that overdose prevention programs minimize the concern on emergency services– like ambulances and emergency spaces– that generally react to overdose occasions.
Current research studies of an unauthorized overdose prevention program likewise recommend that there is no boost in criminal activity, violence, or drug trafficking in locations surrounding theseprograms Criminal activity really reduced in these locations. Research studies likewise reveal that overdose prevention programs lead to less injection-related litter, like dropped syringes.
Trained professionals provide those who check out overdose prevention programs with tidy needles, have products such as Narcan on hand to help in the case of an overdose, and might have screening strips for fentanyl and other possibly deadly drug ingredients. Research studies reveal that these programs prevent overdose deaths and help those having a hard time with substance use disorder get linked to treatment and other services. In addition, overdose prevention programs are an essential damage decrease step that help restrict the spread of communicable diseases, like HIV and Liver Disease C, through intravenousdrug use They likewise minimize criminal activity and syringe litter in the surrounding location and offer those who use drugs the capability to prevent utilizing in public areas. Overdose prevention programs likewise alleviate pressure on hospital emergency spaces.
This legislation has actually been presented several times, and it passed the legislature in 2018 in a previous type. It was banned in 2018 already-Governor Jerry Brown. The legalization of overdose prevention programs has broad assistance from the management of San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles County, in addition to public health and addiction treatment leaders.
The following companies are co-sponsoring SB 57: Drug Policy Alliance, San Francisco AIDS Structure, California Society of Addiction Medicine, National Damage Decrease Union, Healthright 360, Tarzana Treatment Center, and the California Association of Alcohol & & Drug Program Executives.