POLL: Should Heroin Addicts Be Allowed to Shoot Up Under Nurse Care?

An upstate mayor is reportedly hoping his city will be the first in the United States to open a supervised injection facility, where heroin addicts would be able to shoot up under a nurse’s care.

Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick told 1010WINS that the facility would be part of a comprehensive plan to combat drug abuse in his city.

“This part of the plan is about keeping people alive, helping them get treatment, helping them get better, but in the meantime making sure that they live long enough to get that treatment,” the 28-year-old mayor said, according to the report.

There are no supervised injection facilities in the U.S., but there are dozens worldwide, including two in Vancover, Canada.

A spokeswoman for one of those Vancover facilities told the Ithaca Journal that only long-term drug users are able to shoot up on site.

“It’s all very visible, and there’s [nurses] there that are supervising, so if you do overdose, they’re right there, they can provide naloxone … afterwards you go into what’s called a ‘chill room,’ where you stay there for a little bit longer in case there’s a reaction, then you leave,” said Anna Marie D’Angelo, the spokeswoman for Vancouver Coastal Health.

Myrick’s proposal, however, is expected to face plenty of opposition from state lawmakers, who would need to approve a supervised injection facility.

At least one state assemblyman from Long Island has already spoken out against it.

“Are they going to have designated dealers standing by to ensure the heroin is not laced with fentanyl?” Assemb. Al Graf, R-Holbrook, posted in a comment on his Facebook page Monday. “This will not help the problem and government should not be promoting this.”

Let’s hear from you. Would you be in favor of supervised injection facilities in New York? Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Photo via Flickr/CreativeCommons