Safe injection isn't safe supply.
I think when addressing addiction, there are only partial interventions at best. Improvements of policy seem to invite "two forward, one back" results. In Portugal when they decriminalized street drugs, there were fairly decent improvements in some areas. Overdose deaths decreased dramatically, as did AIDS cases. But since a few years ago, there was an uptick in actual drug use and social impacts of open drug use. That's where safe injection sites come in. At least in part, it provides a bit of safety all round. There is healthcare staffing, food, and showers there often too. Addiction is an existential and persistent human predicament. Nothing can be done reliably, although many get free. It's a perfect storm of trauma, poverty, exploitation and ignorance. They are the "poor" of our times. Ubiquitous...always with us, and will likely always be. I believe those who can, should be supported to stay in a stable life and off the street even if that means doctor-monitored prescription drug maintenance.
t.co
