Articles

As the opioid crisis continues to rage across the nation, critical overdose prevention sites are closing. In the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco, the city closed an overdose prevention site on December 4, 2022. Today, instead of a drug consumption site for safe usage and harm reduction, aid workers are limited to handing out packets of Narcan, the overdose prevention drug. Indeed, harm reduction no longer seems to be a priority.

As reported in the Los Angeles Times, drug users are dying in the thousands in San Francisco and other cities nationwide. No major metropolitan area is not being plagued by opioid use disorder. In particular, the abuse of fentanyl and prescription painkillers is out of control. As a provider of substance use disorder treatment and medications for addiction treatment, Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) is on the front lines of this ongoing crisis. Although we believe in treatment and recovery, we also know that harm reduction is a step in the right direction during such a major crisis.

According to a coroner’s report, more than 550 people have died of an overdose in San Francisco in the past year. In less than a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 107,600 Americans died of a drug overdose. Indeed, the numbers are staggering.

Overdose Preventions Sites = A Temporary Remedy

The goal is not to turn overdose prevention sites into permanent installations. Once the tidal wave of opioid use disorder is pushed back, such facilities will not be necessary. However, overdose prevention sites are essential with the rapid rise in drug overdose deaths. Indeed, the health workers who manage these sites can prevent deaths while raising awareness through education.

If drug users are unwilling to stop immediately and enter treatment when available, what other options are available? Does it not make more sense to let addicts do drugs somewhere safe and out of the public view until they choose to quit? In these divided political times, such questions are not easy to answer. No one endorses the rise in overdoses, but neither political side is willing to make concessions. In the meantime, places like the Tenderloin continue to be battlegrounds of death and destruction.

According to LA Times staff writer Anita Chabria, opening overdose prevention sites is a critical step in the right direction. She writes, “Since visiting Vancouver earlier this year, where overdose prevention sites have operated for decades, I’ve come to see that these facilities make sense, even if they are uncomfortable to witness. They aren’t a solution. They don’t treat addiction. But it’s false to say they encourage people to use drugs or to pretend you can’t have overdose prevention sites work hand-in-hand with treatment and recovery programs. Overdose prevention sites are necessary because dead people can’t change — and because kids deserve to walk around without fear of stepping on needles.”

Overdose Prevention Legislation Vetoed by Governor Newsom

In 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation that would have allowed pilot prevention sites in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Oakland. In Sacramento, politicians worry about the consequences of overdose prevention sites and harm reduction approaches. Ultimately, they do not want to appear soft on drugs and crime.

In Los Angeles, the new mayor, Karen Bass, hopes to move people off the streets and into shelters and homes. She believes that homelessness is the root cause of the problem. Supporting her, Dr. José C. Salazar, Director of Program Development at TTC, held public events with Karen Bass during the election. Dr. Salazar spoke of the importance of substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health treatment in addressing the homeless crisis in Los Angeles.

In contrast to California, New York has two overdose prevention centers, funded by nonprofits. Other states are following suit by having nonprofits support overdose prevention sites. If given the proper funding, TTC is willing to continue the battle against the opioid crisis. As one of the largest nonprofit healthcare organizations in Southern California, TTC already teaches community members how to use Narcan. We also distribute the overdose prevention drug. Ultimately, however, TTC believes in expanding treatment availability, both outpatient and residential. It remains the most effective tool for combatting the opioid crisis.