NEW YORK (AP) – The first officially authorized safe havens for people to use heroin and other narcotics have been cleared to open in New York City in hopes of curbing deadly overdoses, the mayor and health commissioner said Tuesday.
The “overdose prevention centers” – commonly known as supervised injection sites or safer consumption spaces – have been discussed for years in New York and some other U.S. cities and states. They already exist in Canada, Australia and Europe.
A few unofficial facilities have operated in the city for some time, allowing drug users a monitored place to partake.
Proponents say the facilities save lives by recognizing the reality of drug use and providing a place where users are watched for signs of overdoses, which claimed a record number of lives in the city and nation last year.
“I’m proud to show cities in this country that after decades of failure, a smarter approach is possible,” Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, said in a statement.