Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Investing

New York City’s Two Overdose Prevention Centers Saved One Thousand Lives Since They Opened. Will The Feds Reward Them by Shutting Them Down?

by August 9, 2023
August 9, 2023

Jeffrey A. Singer

OnPoint NYC, the harm reduction organization tasked with opening and operating New York City’s two overdose prevention centers (OPCs), announced that since the two centers (one in East Harlem and one in Washington Heights) launched on November 30, 2021, they had averted 1,008 overdoses. As of July 2023, more than 3,700 registered participants have used the centers nearly 84,000 times.

Unfortunately, the New York Times reports that Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for Manhattan, responded to the news by implying he will take steps to close down the OPCs:

“I have repeatedly said that the opioid epidemic is a law enforcement crisis and a public health crisis,” Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement to The New York Times. “But I am an enforcer, not a policymaker.” Until New York policymakers take action to authorize the supervised consumption sites, he said, they are operating in violation of federal, state and local law.

“That is unacceptable,” he added. “My office is prepared to exercise all options — including enforcement — if this situation does not change in short order.”

This is an ominous development. At a Cato online policy forum last March, Kailin See, the Senior Director of Programs for OnPoint NYC, told participants that the U.S. Department of Justice had sent inspectors to the two OPCs, who seemed pleasantly surprised at how they worked in the community. The Department of Justice has yet to act against the OPCs.

As I wrote in this Cato policy brief, OPCs have been around since the mid‐​1980s. There are now 147 government‐​sanctioned OPCs in 91 locations and 16 countries—including 38 in Canada, 14 in Switzerland (where the first OPC was opened in Bern in 1986), and 25 in Germany—preventing overdose deaths and the spread of HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases. But in this country, 21 U.S.C. Section 856, also known as the “crack house” statute, passed in the mid‐​80s, makes it illegal for entities to permit people to use prohibited drugs on their premises.

New York City’s mayor defied federal law by authorizing OnPoint NYC to open the OPCs amid soaring overdose deaths during the winter of 2021. The National Institutes of Health announced in May that it will fund a study to assess the effect the OPCs have had on drug use, overdoses, and diseases.

And Rhode Island and Minnesota lawmakers have recently authorized OPCs in their states.

But as the saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished.” All this harm reduction progress can grind to a halt if the Justice Department decides to snuff out the OPCs.

In my policy brief, I called on Congress to repeal the “crack house” statute or “at an absolute minimum amend existing federal law so harm‐​reduction organizations can establish and run OPCs.” Until Congress acts, no harm reduction organization seeking to save lives in its community can ever feel safe from law enforcement’s wrath.

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Stocks Selloff into Close After Failing at Resistance
next post
What’s Up or Down with Long Bonds (TLT)?

You may also like

Tax Policy: Missing in Action

August 24, 2023

Friday Feature: PASS Network and PASS Pod

February 14, 2025

Sandra Day O’Connor and the Importance of Mental...

December 6, 2023

The State of Student Loan Forgiveness: November 2024

November 29, 2024

FBI Budget

May 19, 2023

Nutrition: Major Government Fail?

April 26, 2023

Shaken Baby Syndrome: A Hypothesis That Keeps Sending...

December 30, 2024

For National Recovery Month, Congress Should Expand Access...

September 7, 2023

Energy Subsidies Win Spending Madness 2024

April 11, 2024

La Sombrita, or, How to Fail at Infrastructure

May 22, 2023

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Trump ally stands firm against ‘big, beautiful bill’ despite pressure: ‘It’ll completely backfire’

      June 8, 2025
    • Rubio condemns assassination attempt on Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe

      June 8, 2025
    • Obama WH physician says Biden doc should have performed cognitive test

      June 8, 2025
    • Trump warns of ‘serious consequences’ if Elon Musk funds Democrats

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk jokes about reconsidering stance on Big Beautiful Bill after Schiff’s praise

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk deletes explosive posts about Trump and Epstein files

      June 7, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,152)
    • Investing (2,019)
    • Politics (15,571)
    • Stocks (3,136)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved