Somerville To Examine Neighborhood, Business Impacts Of Drug Site

SOMERVILLE, MA — Three virtual town halls are planned in July to further discuss a supervised consumption site in Somerville. Each meeting will have a different focus to address various stakeholder perspectives.

The schedule is as follows (all meetings start at 6 p.m.):

• Tuesday, July 13 - Hear from potential users of the site and Harm Reduction Specialist
• Thursday, July 22 - Listen to the stories of families of people who use drugs and a discussion around community impacts of a supervised consumption site
• Tuesday, July 27 - Join a conversation around potential impacts a supervised consumption site could have on neighbors and businesses

Attend the Town Halls online or by phone:

• Each meeting will be hosted on Zoom, and there will also be an option to call into the meeting from a phone.
• Visit somervillema.gov/virtualtownhall at the start time of the meeting to join live or get call-in information.
• Call-in information will also be available on the day of the meeting on GovTV, RCN channel 13 and Comcast channel 22, or by calling 311.
• All of the town halls will be shown live on GovTV, RCN channel 13 and Comcast channel 22, and at youtube.com/somervillecitytv. They will also be rebroadcast on GovTV and available to watch later on YouTube.

Plans to establish a supervised consumption site in Somerville were scrapped last year due to the pandemic.

Such sites have been implemented in more than 10 countries, including Canada, Australia and across Europe, to prevent fatal overdoses and connect people to intervention services.

Drug users are allowed to take substances under the supervision of staff, who can intervene in the event of an overdose or other medical emergency. Additional wraparound services like basic health care, housing support and recovery resources are also frequently offered at a supervised consumption site.

But the plan has not been without its detractors. Former U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said such sites are prohibited under federal law, and an effort to open one in Philadelphia was shot down by Appeals Court judges earlier this year.

"Barring a change in the Justice Department's position, if Somerville opens one, federal enforcement will follow," Lelling said in 2019.

Somerville's site would be the first in the United States.