How Safe Injection Sites Would Save Lives in Baltimore

Maryland’s largest city could be the next to adopt safe drug consumption sites to combat overdoses and the spread of intravenous diseases. A pair of studies from researchers at Johns Hopkins University concluded that the sites can help combat a drug epidemic that has overwhelmed the city in recent years.

The first study was commissioned by the Abell Foundation, a nonprofit research organization in Baltimore that supports innovative efforts to solve community issues. In February, researchers recommended a safe drug consumption site on the east and west sides of the city.

The sites would provide people who use drugs with a safe environment regardless of administration method. They would also provide legal, housing and treatment referrals.

“It is a public health emergency, and we need every single evidence-based tool that is at our disposal,” lead author Susan Sherman told the Washington Post.

Decades of research on safe consumption sites in other countries shows that they reduce overdose rates and the number of people who contract diseases related to drug use. They also connect people who use drugs with addiction treatment.

Harriet Smith, executive director of the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition, said that safe consumption sites are a response to racist anti-drug policies that have ravaged Baltimore for decades.

“Safer consumption spaces, where people can use drugs in a monitored environment, would directly undermine those racist policies by treating Baltimore citizens with the dignity and respect that is deserved,” Smith told DrugRehab.com.

The Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition advocates for safe consumption sites, and it conducts naloxone training and distribution activities in Baltimore.

Critics of the Baltimore sites claimed that they would legalize drug dealing and substance abuse. However, research shows that safe consumption sites in Sydney and Vancouver did not increase crime.

In May, Johns Hopkins researchers published a second study that concluded that one safe drug consumption site in Baltimore would save $6 million in health costs each year.

It would also prevent:

  • 4 HIV infections
  • 6 overdose deaths
  • 21 hepatitis C infections
  • 27 hospitalizations
  • 78 emergency room visits
  • 108 ambulance calls

“No one has ever died from an overdose in a safe consumption space,” Sherman said in a press release. “Thousands of lives have been saved.”

The researchers used data from a Vancouver safe consumption site and estimated the benefits using Baltimore data. They determined that 121 people would be connected with addiction treatment annually at a Baltimore site.

“In the thirty year or so history of legally sanctioned safer consumption spaces worldwide, there have been countless overdose reversals and no fatalities at the sites,” Smith said. “Often staffed by peer workers, safe consumption spaces, become sites of recovery as clients are referred to treatment and housing when ready.”

Maryland Delegate Introduces Bill Legalizing Safe Drug Consumption Facilities

The Johns Hopkins researchers claimed that authorization for safe consumption sites should come from the Maryland Legislature. A state law would legitimatize the program and protect staff and the government from legal penalties, the researchers wrote.

Earlier this year, Maryland Delegate Dr. Dan Morhaim (D – Baltimore County) introduced legislation to the Maryland House of Delegates that would legalize safe consumption sites. He also introduced a bill that would force certain hospitals to have addictions counselors on standby for patients treated in the emergency room. Another Morhaim bill would remove penalties for certain nonviolent misdemeanor drug offenses.

Maryland’s rising overdose death rate is an urgent public health crisis of historic proportions,” Morhaim said, according to the Drug Policy Alliance. “We must adopt new and innovative solutions to stem the crisis and stop more families from experiencing this tragedy.”

The bill titled Public Health – Overdose and Infectious Disease Prevention Safer Drug Consumption Facility Program (H.B. 519) had 13 co-sponsors and was last heard in the House’s Health and Government Operations committee in February.

However, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has said that he opposes the law. The governor said that Morhaim may want “to get a license to sell heroin.” Morhaim has been under investigation by an ethics committee for his role in medical marijuana businesses.

Hogan Declares State of Emergency

At a March 1 press conference, Hogan declared that the opioid crisis in Maryland had reached a state of emergency. He said the state would commit an additional $50 million to law enforcement, drug prevention and addiction treatment.

The governor said he’d request the money from Maryland lawmakers and that it would be spread out over five years.

Hogan has proposed several bills to reduce opioid prescriptions and increase penalties for drug dealers. He has also urged nonprofits, local governments and the federal government to help fight the crisis.

Mike Gimbel, the former director of Baltimore County’s Office of Substance Abuse, issued a statement condemning the allocation of funds.

“We don’t need education, and we don’t need more law enforcement,” said Gimbel, who is in recovery from heroin addiction. “We need treatment on demand.”

Safe consumption sites in Baltimore would be one more way to connect people with treatment.

“Safer consumption spaces are one facet of that treatment that allows people to use drugs safely while they work towards sobriety when they are ready,” Smith said. “It is a complement to medication assisted treatment and syringe exchange services.”



Medical Disclaimer: DrugRehab.com aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider.

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