More than two years ago, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to authorize overdose prevention centers, facilities where people would be allowed to use illicit drugs under professional supervision.
On Thursday, the Providence City Council approved the establishment of what will be the state’s first so-called safe injection site.
Minnesota is the only other state to approve these sites, also known as supervised injection centers and harm reduction centers, but no facility has yet opened there.
The only two sites operating openly in the country are in New York City, where Bill de Blasio, who was then mayor, announced the opening of the first center in 2021.
Brandon Marshall, a professor and the chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, said studies from other countries “show that overdose prevention centers save lives, increase access to treatment, and reduce public drug use and crime in the communities in which they’re located.”
Persons:
Bill de Blasio, Brandon Marshall, ”
Organizations:
Providence City Council, Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health
Locations:
Rhode Island, Providence, Minnesota, New York City, they’re