A proposal to open a supervised heroin injection site in Ithaca, New York

[Z]

A proposal to open a supervised heroin injection site in Ithaca, New York, where users could shoot up under a nurse's supervision, has divided drug policy experts and advocates for drug law reform
By DAVID KLEPPER, Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An upstate New York mayor's proposal to consider allowing heroin users to shoot up under medical supervision has divided drug policy experts, with some hailing it as an innovative, science-based approach and others rejecting it as radical and a slippery slope to legalization.
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick formally announced the idea Wednesday as one of several proposals to address a wave of opioid addiction. The Democratic mayor also wants to create a new office of drug policy, help at-risk teens learn work skills and adopt a strategy implemented in Seattle that has police sending low-level drug offenders to treatment instead of jail.
"We had to try something else," he said of his plan. "I believe this will be a model for cities around the country."
It is Myrick's interest in opening the nation's first supervised injection site that has attracted the most praise — and criticism.
The facilities, which already operate in Canada, Australia and Europe, would allow users to shoot up under the supervision of a nurse, who would deliver an antidote in the case of an overdose. Myrick envisions a facility that also offers clean syringes and access to treatment and recovery programs.
The proposal faces significant legal and political hurdles. Myrick said the city could petition the state's Department of Health to declare heroin addiction a health epidemic, a move that would allow the injection site to open.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration has yet to weigh in on Myrick's idea. The governor said to reporters Wednesday, "I'm not familiar with Ithaca's proposal. I can tell you this: Heroin is a statewide crisis."
Kevin Sabet, a former drug policy adviser to three presidents, said he believes injection sites could be a precursor to efforts to fully legalize drugs like heroin.
Other critics said the priority should be more treatment programs.
"The goal here should be getting people off drugs, not doing what we can to make it easy for people to continue to do them," said David Evans, an attorney and adviser to the group Drug Free America.
The New York City-based Drug Policy Alliance, which opposes the nation's current law-enforcement approach to drug use, said Myrick's plan should be a blue print for other cities.
"We are in the middle of a very publicized heroin and opioid epidemic," said Kassandra Frederique, the Alliance's New York state director.
She said it is time for the nation to consider "policies that promote saving people's lives over stigma and shame."
In Ithaca, Myrick's plan has the support of the local prosecutor, District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson. But Ithaca Police Chief John Barber said he is "wary" of the idea.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.[/size]
http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2016-02-24/ny-mayors-call-for-heroin-injection-site-divides-experts[/font]

[Guts]

The opponents of this bill, according to the article, are basically saying science is radical... it basically comes down to science vs religion. How many lives would be saved and how many travesties prevented if religion was not such a major world influence?

[Z]

The fatal flaw in their argument is that supervised injection sites increase intake into detox and rehab facilities.  Science right here:


(edit: Here's the abstract so you don't have to click.)

Background Vancouver, Canada recently opened a medically supervised injecting facility (SIF) where injection drug users (IDU) can inject pre-obtained illicit drugs. Critics suggest that the facility does not help IDU to reduce their drug use. Methods We conducted retrospective and prospective database linkages with residential detoxification facilities and used generalized estimating equation (GEE) methods to examine the rate of detoxification service use among SIF participants in the year before versus the year after the SIF opened. In secondary analyses, we used Cox regression to examine if having been enrolled in detoxification was associated with enrolling in methadone or other forms of addiction treatment. We also evaluated the impact of detoxification use on the frequency of SIF use. Results Among 1031 IDU, there was a statistically significant increase in the uptake of detoxification services the year after the SIF opened. [odds ratio: 1.32 (95% CI, 1.11–1.58); P = 0.002]. In turn, detoxification was associated independently with elevated rates of methadone initiation [relative hazard = 1.56 (95% CI, 1.04–2.34); P = 0.031] and elevated initiation of other addiction treatment [relative hazard = 3.73 (95% CI, 2.57–5.39); P < 0.001]. Use of the SIF declined when the rate of SIF use in the month before enrolment into detoxification was compared to the rate of SIF use in the month after discharge (24 visits versus 19 visits; P = 0.002). Conclusions The SIF’s opening was associated independently with a 30% increase in detoxification service use, and this behaviour was associated with increased rates of long-term addiction treatment initiation and reduced injecting at the SIF

Access to the people coming into insite (vancouver safe injection site) is unprecedented.  It gives social and outreach workers access to populations that would never normally be accessible to them.  Combine that with a comprehensive community based approach to getting addicts the help that they want and need, and you see a net decrease in the number of addicts.  Especially the number of addicts on the streets, and those are the ones that are typically 'doing the crime', 'doing the time', and getting lost in the whole cycle of prison -> drugs -> prison -> drugs.


The other way to get that access, and funnel people into the services they need is usually needle exchange outreach.  You know, "here are your needles, and over there are some pamphlets.  Do you need help with anything?"  Out on the streets, and pounding the pavement to help people.  The problem is that these are not allowed in so many of the communities that are so effected by the opiate 'epidemic' or whatever you want to call it.  The other problem is that it can be hard to find nurses and volunteers willing to go into some of the worst effected areas.


As for religion versus science: I guess.  I think the problem is that they are set against each other instead of seeing the ways they can be complimentary.  Science can give us the means and understanding to help, and religion can give us the structure and motivation if people want it.  The bad religion is the shame and blame game.  Seeing people as unrepentant sinners instead of people who need and want help.  Religion can be an amazing motivator, and a force for good for some people.  I think that's what you're trying to say guts, but I might be wrong.

[Delta9Tetra]

"The goal here should be getting people off drugs, not doing what we can to make it easy for people to continue to do them," said David Evans, an attorney and adviser to the group Drug Free America

I want to kick this guy in the nuts. hard & repeatedly.

Being a NY resident, it would a beautiful step if it actually does happen. Considering just how liberal of a state NY is though,a few months ago they wanted to open 2 medical dispensaries on LI , harsh restrictions only terminally ill people would be allowed to buy the goods. But that was too much for the liberals I guess, and the designated sites they were to be built on became protest camps. They had built a wood frame of the building at one of the sites but the protesters literally ripped it out the ground.AND THATS JUST WEED!

[Chip]

I can say that the one in Sydney manages to stop all the used syringes ending up on the street and you wouldn't even know it was there.

stops ODs too -- there's even a "nodding" area where those too stoned can chill, drink something and still be under the watchful eyes of the nurses until they're right to hit the street.

they work. I have seen it. no drama whatsoever and no increase in drug use, that I am aware of.

highly recommended.

[Griffin]

This is wonderful that he has the balls, and common sense to bring this up, and inform people about it. I highly doubt it would get approved mainly because another part of his plan is to open a methadone clinic with a detox/rehab in the upstairs in a building that is currently unoccupied and it is getting some much backlash because its within a mile of the town square. The idiots there are saying it being closed to town will make them lose their tourism, cause crime to be rampant in that area, bring in addicts and encourage use.

I will never understand how people are so fucking stupid it makes me livid, the methadone clinic is getting more resistance than the decriminalized heroin and injection site proposals. There have been hundreds of stuides on methadone clinics that all prove that when a clinic moves to an area crime goes down, infectious diseases rates go down, addiction rates go down, less ivdu and way more needles being discarded properly. It saves money and lives, makes a place safer, and genuinely helps people.

Another thing that I hate is that if the injection site is approved that the heroin will still be coming off the streets, it should be medical grade and should be provided for multiple reasons like safety, reducing crime, and to remove fear of prosecution for being safe. He wants a pilot program of heroin maintenence treatment. Every study done on this has proven that it reduces crime, tax money spend, addiction rates, diseases, and death. It has better results that all other treatment options in every aspect.

I am very glad that he is bringing this to the publics view, and I hope that he uses statistics and studies and lets everyone know how effective doing this is. A lot of people surprisingly were okay with it, the main people against it are religious idiots who think that we need to kill people to stop them from not wearing their seat belts. They think we need to murder people to slow down murder rates. I think if he would just come out with all the stats that would make the biggest difference and most impact even if it does get shot down just so people will know the truth.

That way they can see that every bit of science proves that everything that they learned from drug war propagada is a lie and that it is causing more harm than it is trying to reduce. I think if people actually knew who weren't idiotic religious fanatics who think killing addicts is the best way to slow down addiction rates then we would make a lot of progress. People still think that harm reduction increases addiction and turns the world into druggies.

People who are against it should be forced to read all the studies and statistics that show that it reduces everything and that it could help millions of people, stop people from dying needlessly, and is much safer, cleaner, and cheaper than all other options. How does ruining peoples lives to stop them from possibly ruining their lives help anyone or anything.

And if after they have seen all the proof that shows that harm reduction works way better than everything else and they still want to lock everyone up and kill druggies than they should be put in prison to help them stop being hypocritical idiots because if they think it works then they should get to try the wonderful life saving treatment that is incarceration. There isn't one study that shows that this would increase usage or crime and standing behind christianity is the most hypocritical thing imaginable.

How can they believe god would want them to kill people to stop them from doing drugs, or put them in a tiny cell and cause pain and suffering and make it so they can't enjoy the life that god has given them. How can people be so stupid that they think they need to kill to protect our morals and ethics from being corrupted. Sorry for the rant these people make my blood boil its like being trapped in a looney bin trying to convince everyone you are sane.

[Roman Totale]

stops ODs too -- there's even a "nodding" area where those too stoned can chill, drink something and still be under the watchful eyes of the nurses until they're right to hit the street.

Like people donating blood!  Being fed orange juice and cookies until they're straight enough to leave.