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C.W. Nevius: Support for supervised drug injection is growing
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 10/16/7 | C. W. Nevius

Posted on 10/16/2007 7:45:52 AM PDT by SmithL

Two months ago I wrote about an idea for a place in San Francisco where intravenous drug users could shoot up under the supervision of trained personnel. A lot of people thought it sounded crazy.

Well, get ready to hear about it again, because the idea is gaining momentum.

On Thursday, an all-day symposium - co-hosted by the city Department of Public Health - will examine the idea of creating safe injection centers where users could bring their drugs, shoot up and leave, without fear of arrest.

The idea is to decrease overdoses, keep dirty needles off the street, and cut the risk of spreading HIV and hepatitis C. Those are all good things. It is the idea of providing addicts with their own injection clinic that riles people up.

"What's next?" a reader wrote when the first column appeared. "Giving them the drugs, too?"

No. But there's no doubt that if San Francisco ever established such a center, even as a pilot program, there would be an enormous brouhaha.

"It would be huge international news," said Peter Davidson, a researcher at UCSF in the epidemiology and biostatistics department. "It would be the first facility in the United States, and there would probably be a firestorm for a while."

You can count on that. The conservative radio talk show hosts are probably already jump-starting their tonsils. Wacky San Francisco, providing a party room for junkies.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: ivdrugs; sanfranciscovalues
Drug abuse is a San Francisco value.
1 posted on 10/16/2007 7:45:53 AM PDT by SmithL
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To: SmithL

First they did this for homo perversion but Will they do the same for smokers?


2 posted on 10/16/2007 8:08:18 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple ( Seeking the truth here folks.)
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To: SmithL; All
They should ask Vancouver how it's worked out for them...

I don't have the link handy, but they instituted this about a year ago, and the area has become awash with addicts, litter, crime, and filth.

Surprise, surprise... subsidize a certain thing and you're certain to get more of it...

3 posted on 10/16/2007 11:10:35 AM PDT by backhoe (Just a Merry-Hearted Keyboard PirateBoy, plunderin’ his way across the WWW…)
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To: backhoe

Bingo!

What behaviors do you want to reward?


4 posted on 10/16/2007 11:15:58 AM PDT by SmithL (I don't do Barf Alerts, you're old enough to read and decide for yourself)
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To: backhoe

Someone needs to remind them how gung-ho they were on the whole medical marijuana mess until they set up the “pot shops” in their neighborhoods and schoolchildren got to dodge double-parked cars, evade junkies and deal with sales on the corner.

S.F. citizens should Google “Green Cross” and ask themselves if they want a more advanced version of drug “control” coming to a neighborhood near them soon.


5 posted on 10/16/2007 2:21:33 PM PDT by Right Cal Gal (Remember Billy Dale!!!)
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