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Even with the success of New York City’s overdose prevention center, the only government-sanctioned program operating in this country, such facilities are proving a tough sell over concerns they encourage drug use, crime and neighborhood blight.
Rhode Island officials recently announced the proposed location of a place where people could safely use illegal drugs under the watch of staff trained to reverse overdoses. But in Pennsylvania, the state Senate just voted to ban such centers, six days after Colorado lawmakers killed a bill that would have authorized them.
In Rhode Island, the legislature in 2021 authorized its overdose prevention program. The state allocated $2.6 million in opioid lawsuit settlement money to fund the pilot's first year-plus.
A group of elected officials representing Northeast Philly convened to protest a private meeting between the feds and residents.
An embattled Philadelphia neighborhood's residents are taking action against drugs reportedly fueling gun crime, according to The Wall Street Journal.