Current Events > Gavin Newsom vetoes safe injection sites for SF, LA, Oakland

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https://amp.sacbee.com/news/california/article264587936.html

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a closely-watched bill Monday that would have allowed San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles to open supervised drug use sites in an effort to curb the states rising opioid overdose rate.

Instead, the governor called for Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly to join with with city and county officials to study minimum standards and best practices for overdose prevention programs.

Newsoms decision against Senate Bill 57, announced just hours ahead of the legal deadline for a veto, will almost certainly be seen by supporters as a retreat from his commitment to progressive California policies. It is also likely to heighten speculation that his possible aspirations as a Democratic presidential candidate might have compelled him to row back support for an idea he was very, very open to when he ran for governor in 2018.

Approval of the five-year pilot program would almost certainly have been used by Republicans against Newsom, who is up for re-election in November.

It would also have provided fresh material for national GOP attacks on Newsom an outspoken critic of governance in red states such as Texas, Florida and Alabama as an enabler of legally sanctioned drug dens. The term is intentionally used to conjure images of 19th-century opium dens or more contemporary crack houses where drugs are sold or made.

The bill received broad support from public health groups like the Drug Policy Alliance and California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives, both of which co-sponsored it with Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. All but a handful of Democrats favored it and pushed Newsom to sign amid heavy opposition from conservatives.
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Wiener, the bills author, called the veto tragic and a huge lost opportunity on Twitter.

We dont need additional studies or working groups to determine whether safe consumption sites are effective, Wiener said in a statement. We know from decades of experience and numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies that they work.

Safe consumption sites have been in operation around the world for approximately 30 years, with great success and literally zero overdose deaths, he added. These sites are a proven strategy to reduce overdose deaths, pressure on emergency rooms, and public drug use, while expanding access to drug treatment.
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Outside of the U.S., such sites are not a new phenomenon. Research shows that they are a cost-effective method for reducing overdoses and other related public health issues.

Proponents say they do not promote drug abuse but are places where people can safely use illicit drugs under medically trained staff, rather than on their own in dangerous public settings far away from medical care. These centers also assist people in obtaining addiction support services.

California would have been the third state to authorize these sites, also called overdose prevention projects. Rhode Island was the first to legalize them in 2021, but a center has yet to open. New York state opened two in 2021. Officials reported that within the first few months of operation, staff prevented more than 150 overdoses.

Doesnt want that on his record for his eventual presidential run even though its objectively a good idea. Too scary to enlightened centrists and conservatives.

Harm Reduction is the most effective way forward.

Not accepting that makes you just as big a dumbass as the people who think Trump won.

Your opinion does not match reality, change it.

(not directed at anyone currently ITT, just to be clear)

What a fucking disappointment. Safe sites help prevent deaths from overdosing and even gets people into treatment programs.

People aren't magically gonna stop shooting up without them.

His corporate donors want to keep the their prison pipeline intact.

All my homes hate Gavin newsom

What a bad fucking decision

NinjaWarrior455 posted...

His corporate donors want to keep the their prison pipeline intact.

Its really sad that this could be the answer.

K181 posted...

Doesnt want that on his record for his eventual presidential run even though its objectively a good idea. Too scary to enlightened centrists and conservatives.

SuperShake666 posted...

What a fucking disappointment. Safe sites help prevent deaths from overdosing and even gets people into treatment programs.

People aren't magically gonna stop shooting up without them.

As a Conservative, I agree that safe sites are needed so medical professionals can administer the drugs and prevent overdoses. If something goes wrong with a patient, the professionals can keep the patient from dying. I can't stand Newsom. I think he's a terrible governor, but I would've praised him if he had legalized safe sites. This is yet another bad decision in a long line of bad decisions.

bad decision made to avoid bad optics, unfortunately this will cause lives to be lost

Wait... so the idea was to create drug dens where you can do illegal drugs without consequences?

And people think this is a good idea?

Progressives are wild.

Crimson_Corsair posted...

Wait... so the idea was to create drug dens where you can do illegal drugs without consequences?

And people think this is a good idea?

Progressives are wild.

DrizztLink posted...

Harm Reduction is the most effective way forward.

Not accepting that makes you just as big a dumbass as the people who think Trump won.

Though I'm pretty sure you're in both categories.

Crimson_Corsair posted...

Wait... so the idea was to create drug dens where you can do illegal drugs without consequences?

And people think this is a good idea?

Progressives are wild.

They help prevent death, the dangers of used needles and help people get into treatment programs.

Crimson_Corsair posted...

Wait... so the idea was to create drug dens where you can do illegal drugs without consequences?

And people think this is a good idea?

Progressives are wild.

It is treating drug addiction as the medical problem it is and not the fucking crime it shouldn't be.

Youd think that in the age of COVID, any program that reduced pressure on hospitals would be a really good idea

Crimson_Corsair posted...

Wait... so the idea was to create drug dens where you can do illegal drugs without consequences?

And people think this is a good idea?

Progressives are wild.

Lol imagine being this misinformed. Conservatives are so ignorant

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Youd think that in the age of COVID, any program that reduced pressure on hospitals would be a really good idea

Pssh, none of them go to the hospital after they get revived >_> They just get mad you ruined their high and walk away.

I mean, the governor of California agrees with this "Conservative" so lol.

Crimson_Corsair posted...

I mean, the governor of California agrees with this "Conservative" so lol.

And the governor of California is an idiot.

Shall we continue the chain of logic?

Crimson_Corsair posted...

Wait... so the idea was to create drug dens where you can do illegal drugs without consequences?

And people think this is a good idea?

Progressives are wild.

Shut the fuck up.

DrizztLink posted...

And the governor of California is an idiot.

Shall we continue the chain of logic?

I mean, I don't think he is an idiot at all... weird 180 from you though.

He's making a decision that flies in the face of available evidence in order to help his political career

This is the number one reason to hate career politicians

and on topic to safe injection sites; theyve been doing this in Amsterdam for over a decade now with monumental success.

Just legalize drugs. All of them.
Clean needles could be trivially purchased by the hundred, and the heroin off the shelf isn't going to be cut with mystery filler.

Is newsome ensuring a republican victory in ca

Typical do nothing dem

No surprise there

CA is weird because it's mostly blue but you have random pockets of extremely vocal reds all over the place

He should have signed it into law even if it meant it would later hurt his presidential chances and we ended up with a Republican President. It would save lives.

Crimson_Corsair posted...

I mean, the governor of California agrees with this "Conservative" so lol.

Appeal to authority? Really?

Lanzol posted...

Typical do nothing dem

No surprise there

CA is weird because it's mostly blue but you have random pockets of extremely vocal reds all over the place

Typically how most blue states are tbh. Heavily populated areas tend to lean blue and the rural backwoods ignorance dominates outside of them

Questionmarktarius posted...

Just legalize drugs. All of them.
Clean needles could be trivially purchased by the hundred, and the heroin off the shelf isn't going to be cut with mystery filler.

Been trying to think about how to respond to this, should have just posted an eye rolling emogi and saved time.

Crimson_Corsair posted...

I mean, the governor of California agrees with this "Conservative" so lol.

Ah so the government is never wrong. Got it.

Maybe you can give us a thorough explanation how tossing people in jail for drug addiction and making overdoses easier is a benefit to society.

Though full disclosure: I have an ethical hangup on actually legalizing illicit drug use. I don't like anyone being able to make an honest living off the suffering of others, regardless of how willingly they pay you money to do so.

K181 posted...

Doesnt want that on his record for his eventual presidential run

Too late for that. It's already part of his record along with the countless tent cities across California.

People don't realize that this will decrease HIV and Hepatitis which can be huge strains on the healthcare system if a patient is uninsured. So yes even if you don't care about the individual person it can still affect you in different ways.

Lanzol posted...

Typical do nothing dem

No surprise there

CA is weird because it's mostly blue but you have random pockets of extremely vocal reds all over the place

outside of the coast with their large city populations were a very red state

K181 posted...

Doesnt want that on his record for his eventual presidential run even though its objectively a good idea. Too scary to enlightened centrists and conservatives.

This stuff is starting to be too scary for some leftists who are now realizing how easy it is to NOT be progressive when things don't "look good" and the vibes aren't there.

This policy is good, but God damn are the optics hard to get past for people

This will kill people. This is also why you can't trust this type of liberal too much, anything that scares the "middle class" and business types becomes a non-starter even if there is no rational justification for a different policy.

legendary_zell posted...

This will kill people. This is also why you can't trust this type of liberal too much, anything that scares the "middle class" and business types becomes a non-starter even if there is no rational justification for a different policy.

what use is an addict to a society and why should their continued existence be encouraged instead of eradicated? if someone wants to kill themselves by jumping off a tall building, is your solution to fence off a building, put a bunch of mats at the base and then kindly ask that people go jump off of that one instead?

if someone actively and repeatedly places themselves in danger because they're chasing a drug-induced high, why should anyone other than they themselves be responsible for their actions?

Kaiganeer posted...

what use is an addict to a society and why should their continued existence be encouraged instead of eradicated?

i thought i had read the most fucked up thing i'd see today in the rape topic, but good fucking job at topping that.

jesus fucking christ, get help.

Kaiganeer posted...

why should anyone other than they themselves be responsible for their actions?

if you want to break things down into something other than - because its what a fucking society and community should be doing, taking care of its most vulnerable people - drug addiction costs a fucking ton of money to society as a whole

FaultyCircuitry posted...

because its what a fucking society and community should be doing, taking care of its most vulnerable people

kids can't grow up faster. the elderly can't do anything about growing old. someone bound to a wheelchair or born with a condition that drastically reduces their quality of life can't do anything about that. they are vulnerable, and society should protect and help these people so they can have a normal life

addicts don't belong there because drug use is a choice. no one's forcing a needle into someone, they're doing it to themselves to chase a temporary high, endangering themselves and often others with the behavior that follows. continually making the decision to hurt yourself again and again is not vulnerability, it's stupidity

FaultyCircuitry posted...

drug addiction costs a fucking ton of money to society as a whole

it does and just chucking them into prison and letting them stew there doesn't fix the underlying problem. stricter drug laws that focus on eliminating supply rather than demand and a prison system that focuses on a robust rehabilitation program that recoups the costs with forced labor would be a start

So you want to enslave drug addicts. Holy fuck.

Kaiganeer posted...

that recoups the costs with forced labor would be a start

What in the fuck

Axiom posted...

What in the fuck

For real. Like bruh, what is you saying?

Newsom is a dumbass. This would help the problem in the bay area tremendously and save lives. Imagine thinking it was a good look to not do this.

FaultyCircuitry posted...

So you want to enslave drug addicts. Holy fuck.

Axiom posted...

What in the fuck

prison labor already exists. instead of using that to turn a profit, use the money to fund the program and to offset the costs incurred from housing the inmates

@kaiganeer

you might want to look into the absurd amount of drug addicts who were inventors, scientists, artists, musicians, business men, etc.

if society took your advice wed all be decades back in progress. And thats just one of the many flaws with your dumbass privileged position.

I really wish people like @Kaiganeer would admit they just want all addicts and criminals to be summarily executed. Cut out the bullshit about pretending to care about improving society or helping these people rehabilitate.

I continue to maintain that the best thing a selfish person can do is care about everyone. A safe, happy society can't harm you.

Things got out of hand while I was asleep.

This Kaiganeer guy isn't great is he?

Kaiganeer posted...

prison labor already exists.

And it shouldn't.

I love that this fucking nut understands that prison labor exists, but recognizes it as a good thing and we should actually be doing it to even more people, especially people that have fallen victim to drug addiction by some of the shady tactics that doctors can do, or just have a mental illness that they're trying to treat with drugs.

Like these people are sick, and you're solution is to throw them and prison to get them to pull up their bootstraps.

Holy shit what a psycho.

I assume his homeless solution is just to execute them.