Federal development on safe injection sites leaves Massachusetts advocates optimistic

BOSTON — The Justice Department is indicating it might be willing to allow safe injection sites for people to use heroin, fentanyl and other drugs.

The development revealed on Monday marks a potential shift on the horizon at the federal level.

Federal officials had previously refused to take a stance since President Joe Biden took office last year.

During the Trump administration, prosecutors fought against a plan to open a safe injection site in Philadelphia.

The Justice Department now says it is “evaluating” such facilities.

“Finally the federal government is catching up with what the rest of the world has known for some time,” said Jim Stewart with SIFMA Now.

Some Massachusetts advocates for safe injection sites expressed optimism over the Justice Department being open to the idea.

“It takes away some of the major objections,” said Stewart. “Governor Baker said they’re not allowed by federal law. Now it appears federal law may not be concerned with this.”

Stewart and other supporters of supervised consumption sites believe the facilities would offer a critical tool to prevent people from dying and get them into treatment.

Opponents are convinced the sites would increase crime in neighborhoods and encourage drug use.

“Rather than making it easier to stay on these poisons I would rather see us making it easier to get off the poisons,” said South End resident Andy Brand.

A bill currently being reviewed by Massachusetts lawmakers would create a 10-year pilot program “establishing two or more supervised consumption sites that utilize harm reduction tools, including clinical monitoring of the consumption of pre-obtained controlled substances in the presence of trained staff, for the purpose of reducing the risks of disease transmission and preventing overdose deaths.”

In 2018, the Massachusetts State Senate killed a bill to establish safe injection sites after Governor Baker and then U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling strongly opposed it.

At the time, Lelling threatened “law enforcement” if such a facility opened.

Boston 25 News reached out to the office of new U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins on Monday night.

A spokesperson said “the government has no comment” at this time.

Safe injection sites already exist in Canada and some European countries.

New York City became the first U.S. city to open safe injection sites back in November.

The organization running NYC’s two supervised consumption sites says they’ve intervened in more than 125 overdoses among more than 640 drug users.

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