Rhode Island Becomes First State to Allow Supervised Injection Sites

Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee has signed a bill authorizing a two-year pilot program that will establish “harm reduction centers” where individuals can consume substances under the supervision of trained personnel. With the bill becoming law, Rhode Island becomes the first state in the nation to allow supervised injection sites. Ten other nations sanction the use of such facilities.

The legislation was introduced by Majority Floor Manager John G. Edwards, a Democrat from Rhode Island’s 70th district, and Sen. Joshua Miller, a Democrat from District 28 who chairs the state Senate’s Committee on Health and Human Services.

Of note: While the legislation allows for the creation of supervised injection sites, it does not provide any public funding for them.

In addition to the supervised injection facilities, the law also establishes an advisory committee that will make recommendations to the Rhode Island Department of Health on:

• Ways to maximize the health and safety benefits of the sites
• Proper disposal of needles and syringes
• Recovery of individuals who use the centers
• Ways to adhere to federal, state and local laws impacting the centers

>> READ the full text of Rhode Island Bill 5245A

The Drug Policy Alliance, which provided legislative drafting and technical assistance, along with funding for an advocate group in the state, applauded the bill’s passage.

“Today’s victory in Rhode Island gives us hope that there are policymakers that are willing to actually lead and do what needs to be done to save lives in the face of one of the worst public health crises of our time,” Lindsay LaSalle, managing director of policy for the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a statement. “We have to use every public health resource at our disposal – especially the ones we know work. And we have to do it now.

“There are mountains of evidence, from years and years of experience in other countries, to show that these centers save lives, increase the likelihood of a person entering treatment, and provide people access to other vitally important health resources.”