San Francisco a step closer to allowing safe-injection sites after state Senate vote

San Francisco Mayor London Breed is one step closer to opening a safe-injection site in the city to combat drug overdoses for those living on the streets. 

Assembly Bill 186, the controlled substances: overdose prevention program, moved forward in a state Senate vote on Tuesday, which would allow Breed to move forward with the plan to open such a site as part of a three-year-pilot program. %INLINE%

The legislation still needs the approval of the assembly and then from the governor. 

The bill's author, Assemblymember Susan Eggman, thanked co-author state Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco on Twitter for his leadership in the midst of a "public health crisis." 

The language included in the bill would allow the city and county of San Francisco to operate a hygienic overdose prevention program for adults that would include health care professionals. They would be able to consume previously-obtained drugs and have access to sterile consumption supplies.  

Last week KTVU reported that faith-based leaders rallied in Sacramento to object to the plan

Mayor Breed, who also thanked state Sen. Wiener today on Twitter, said last week that she visited a safe-injection site in Vancouver where they opened their first such site in 2003. Breed said at first the community there was apprehensive about it, but they eventually came around after seeing how neighborhoods were transformed. 

The mayor has said the program is about connecting people to treatment and getting discarded needles off the streets. 

San Francisco’s center would be the first of its kind in the nation. The site was initially scheduled to be in place by July.