Senate approves harm reduction center pilot extension

 

STATE HOUSE – The Senate today passed legislation introduced by Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Joshua Miller to extend the state’s two-year pilot program to prevent drug overdoses through the establishment of harm reduction centers to help prevent drug overdose deaths.

The bill (2023-S 0026) extends the sunset date on a pilot program approved by the General Assembly in 2021 to create supervised facilities for drug users, staffed by health care professionals who could help in cases of overdose and make treatment referrals. The first such site, to be operated by Project Weber/RENEW and CODAC Behavioral in Providence, is not yet open. Under the law that authorized it, the pilot is to expire March 1, 2024. This bill extends it to March 1, 2026.

“Rhode Island is grappling with a serious and ever-growing opioids epidemic, one that claimed a record 435 of our friends, family members and neighbors in 2021. I’m proud of this legislation not only because of the way it will save lives directly by preventing overdoses and connecting suffering people to the help they need, but because it represents an important shift in recognizing that addiction is a disease rather than a crime. Shame and fear of criminal prosecution are contributing factors to overdose deaths, resulting in people hiding in back alleys to use, being afraid to seek help and dying alone. This pilot changes that equation. It will save the lives of those who use it, and I believe it’s a hopeful turn in our efforts to compassionately and effectively treat addiction in our state,” said Chairman Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence).

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives, which last week approved companion legislation (2023-H 5044) sponsored by Majority Floor Manager John G. Edwards (D-Dist. 70, Tiverton).

The harm reduction centers allowed under the bill will be staffed by health care professionals who will provide supervision as people use pre-obtained substances. In addition to being able to identify and treat overdoses immediately, they will offer health screenings and provide resources for testing drugs for fentanyl and preventing the spread of disease. Additionally, they will offer visitors a gateway to recovery and support services.

The legislation also amends the act slightly to ensure that it permits the smoking of pre-obtained substances within the harm reduction center.

No center can be opened without the approval of the city or the town council in the municipality where it would be located.

With passage of the original law in 2021, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to sanction the operation of harm reduction centers. There are about 120 such facilities operating in 10 other countries worldwide.

Studies of supervised injection facilities in other countries have demonstrated that they reduce overdose deaths and transmission rates for infectious disease, and increase the number of individuals who seek addiction treatment, without increasing drug trafficking or crime in the areas where they are located, according the American Medical Association.

“Rhode Island will be a leader in our country with this pilot, but we already know from the experiences of harm reduction centers in other parts of the world that they reduce overdose deaths, they make communities safer and they put treatment at the fingertips of those who need it the second they are ready for it,” said Chairman Miller. “This is a time-tested model that works, and it will save lives here in Rhode Island.”

 

 

President Biden is praising lawmakers on both sides of aisles for coming together to pass a debt ceiling bill and avert a potential economic disaster. In his first address to the nation from the Oval Office, the president said the budget agreement was critical and the stakes could not have been higher. The president plans to sign the bill Saturday ahead of the Monday deadline, when the Treasury Department said the U.S. could default on its debt.        Former President Trump says he's "at least as innocent" as his vice president after Pence was cleared of charges related to classified documents at his home. The Justice Department said today it wouldn't bring charges against the former Vice President, and Trump wrote on Truth Social that he should be "fully exonerated" on what he called a "hoax." The DOJ found a few sensitive documents at Pence's home, but in Trump's case federal agents raided his Mar-a-Lago home last year after his refusal to cooperate with the National Archives for months.       The White House says the U.S. won't engage in a nuclear arms race with Russia and China. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told the Arms Control Association in Washington today that the U.S. does not need to increase its nuclear forces to successfully deter its nuclear competitors. He said the Biden administration is focusing on non-nuclear capabilities such as hypersonic missiles that can reach "heavily defended, high-value targets."        Amazon could soon offer low-cost or free mobile phone services to Prime subscribers. Bloomberg reports the tech giant is in talks with multiple telecom providers like Verizon and T-Mobile. Amazon is reportedly looking to be able to offer wireless plans for ten dollars or less a month.        Federal regulators warn Venmo and PayPal users not to store cash in the app. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Director warned in a statement that payment apps have been "increasingly used as substitutes for a traditional bank" but they don't have the same protections to make sure that cash is safe. The agency said more than three in four U.S. adults have used at least one of such apps.       Mexican police say they found 45 bags of human remains that match seven missing members of call center staff. According to the state prosecutor's office in Jalisco, police discovered them in a ravine near Guadalajara. Seven young employees at a call center were reported missing between May 20th and 22nd in the city.