Governor vetoes SB 57 (Wiener) re safe injection sites

The Governor vetoed SB 57, stating that “The unlimited number of safe injection sites that this bill would authorize – facilities which could exist well into the later part of this decade – could induce a world of unintended consequences.” and “I am instructing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene city and county officials to discuss minimum standards and best practices for safe and sustainable overdose prevention programs. I remain open to this discussion when those local officials come back to the Legislature with recommendations for a truly limited pilot program – with comprehensive plans for siting, operations, community partnerships, and fiscal sustainability that demonstrate how these programs will be run safely and effectively.”

Senator Scott Wiener responded to the bill’s veto in a press statement, “Today’s veto is tragic. For eight years, a broad coalition has worked to pass this life-saving legislation. Each year this legislation is delayed, more people die of drug overdoses — two per day in San Francisco alone. While this veto is a major setback for the effort to save lives and connect people to treatment, we must not — and will not — let it end this movement. We’ll continue to fight for an end to the War on Drugs and a focus on drug use and addiction as the health issues that they are.”

SYASL suspected, and reported to you in a previous newsletter, that this veto could happen. What happens next in California? It is reported that some officials are not interested in waiting on Governor Newsom to give the green light. San Francisco Attorney David Chiu said in a statement that he’d “fully support a non-profit moving forward now with New York’s model of overdose prevention programs.” Senator Wiener agreed, saying it’s “crystal clear the state isn’t going to step up.”

You may view additional articles regarding the same below. 

Newsom vetoes bill for safe-injection sites in three cities
Another safe injection sites veto

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