RI Assembly OKs Onsite Supervised Drug Use Centers

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Rhode Island General Assembly has passed legislation that would authorize a two-year pilot program to create "harm reduction centers" where people would be able to "safely consume pre-obtained substances" under medical supervision. The supervised injection centers would also offer health screening, disease prevention resources and recovery assistance.

The goal is to prevent drug overdoses, according to a news release from the Legislative Press and Public Information Bureau.

The legislation was introduced by Majority Floor Manager John G. Edwards (D-Dist. 70, Tiverton, Portsmouth) and Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence). The bill (2021-H 5245A, 2021-S 0016B) would authorize facilities where people could safely consume substances under the supervision of health care professionals.

Under the bill, local approval would be required. The city or town council of any municipality where such a center would operate would have to give their approval.

In Rhode Island, the top five communities for opioid overdose burden are Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Warwick, and Cranston, according to data assembled by the Rhode Island Department of Health.

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The legislation would make Rhode Island the first in the United States to authorize such a pilot program for supervised injection of drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. There are around 120 such sites operating in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland, according to the Drug Policy Alliance.

The advocacy group says that staff members at such facilities do not directly assist in consumption but are present to provide sterile injection supplies, answer questions on safe injection practices, administer first aid if needed, and monitor for overdose. The staff also offer general medical advice and referrals to drug treatment, medical treatment, and other social support programs.

Rhode Island Department Of Health

“The opioid epidemic has become a tremendous public health crisis, with overdoses of prescription and non-prescription opioids claiming a record number of lives,” Rep. Edwards said in Thursday's news release. “Not only do harm reduction centers severely mitigate the chance of overdose, they are a gateway to treatment and rehabilitation of people with substance abuse disorder. These locations will be under the supervision of trained medical staff who can direct addicts toward substance use disorder treatment. It’s a way to tackle this epidemic while saving lives in the process.”

“If we are truly going to rein in the drug overdose epidemic, we must recognize drug addiction as the health problem it is, rather than as merely a crime,” said Sen. Miller, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. “People who are addicted need help and protection from the most dangerous possibilities of addiction. Having a place where someone can save them from an overdose and where there are people offering them the resources they need for treatment is a much better alternative to people dying alone in their homes or their cars. Especially as overdose deaths have climbed during the pandemic and fentanyl-laced drugs continue to pose a lethal threat to unwitting users, we could prevent needless death and turn lives around with a program like this.”

The bill would create an advisory committee to make recommendations to the Department of Health, and the DOH would be in charge of making regulations pertaining to operations, including the proper disposal of hypodermic needles and syringes, the recovery of people utilizing the centers, and ways to adhere to federal, state and local laws.

Proponents of supervised injection facilities say they reduce overdose deaths and infectious disease, increase the number of people who seek addiction treatment, and do not increase drug trafficking or crime where they are located.

"Each harm reduction center shall provide the necessary health care professionals to prevent overdose, and shall provide referrals for counseling or other medical treatment that may be appropriate for persons utilizing the harm reduction center," the legislation reads.

The measure now moves to the desk of Gov. Dan McKee.