San Francisco's D6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey to push for safe consumption sites - Axios San FranciscoLog InLog InAxios San Francisco is an Axios company.

D6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey to push for safe consumption sites

A man utilizes one of New York City's safe consumption sites. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey intends to "fight hard" to establish safe consumption sites in San Francisco, telling Axios it's "a strategy that can save lives." Why it matters: The city's in the midst of , largely driven by the opioid fentanyl. While accidental overdose deaths were than 2020, raw numbers remain high. Last year, 650 people died of accidental overdoses, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Between January and June, the city counted Details: Safe consumption sites, or overdose prevention programs, are designed to provide sterile drug consumption supplies, referrals to treatment programs and trained staff to administer drugs to reverse an opioid overdose. these sites prevent overdose deaths, reduce the risk of HIV/hepatitis C transmission and result in less public drug use. The other side: Opponents claim "the unintended consequence of this bill is to ."Critics have also argued that the sites fail to guarantee that people leaving the facilities "are not so impaired" they harm themselves or others. Driving the news: in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles passed in the state Senate earlier this month. The measure is awaiting final approval from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.The sites, if approved, would be stocked with clean supplies, like needles, and staffed with clinicians trained to help prevent overdoses.The city would need to give public health officials, law enforcement and the public an opportunity to comment on the program before moving forward, per the bill. What they're saying: "My worry is that we've so lost the confidence of San Franciscans that it's going to be pitchforks and torches if we move forward on anything," Dorsey said. Based on conversations Dorsey's had with residents, he's picked up on "a lot of suspicion" people have around the city's response to the drug epidemic. He added, residents think "anything the city is going to do to solve this problem" will make their neighborhoods worse. To address concerns, Dorsey said the city would prioritize enforcement of drug dealing, as "Right to Recovery" bill. Flashback: In Nov. 2021, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said a supervised drug site near the Tenderloin, but that hasn't happened yet.The mayor's office tells Axios it's "closely monitoring" the bill's progress, as "safe consumption sites are one part of the city's larger strategy to reduce overdoses on our streets."That plan, as of June, sobering center in SOMA.Of note: In May, people were reportedly doing facility designed to provide overdose prevention supplies and other health services, per the San Francisco Standard. Zoom out: Europe, Canada and Australia have operated safe consumption sites for decades, and the 170+ facilities in operation have .New York City began operating safe consumption sites in Nov. 2021 in response to overdose deaths in the area. On its first day of operations, . What's next: If Newsom signs the bill, the law would go into effect in January 2023. San Francisco would then need to select an organization to run the program. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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