“Safe injection” sites are coming to a community near you.
by Kolby LaMarche
On Friday, in an 8-4 vote, the Vermont legislature’s Committee on Appropriations advanced a bill that would create a pilot program looking to construct two “overdose prevention” sites throughout Vermont.
You may have heard numerous other, mostly focus-group generated, names: safe injection sites, overdose prevention sites, supervised injection sites, the list goes on.
Point is, these sites operate as state-managed facilities where Vermonters can use illicit substances under supervision, offering assistance in case of overdose and connecting visitors with “resources” – resources the state doesn’t have.
In June 2022, Governor Phil Scott vetoed a legislative bill on injection sites, strikingly similar to the current legislation under consideration once more.
However, in this instance, in 2024, our Democratic super-majority legislature is likely to seize any opportunity to flex its political muscle, overriding Governor Scott’s vetoes.
Thus, Vermonters get your needles ready!
In other, connected, news Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger has been publishing a slew of editorials across the state in obvious preparation for a bid to become Vermont’s next governor.
One of them, published on January 3rd and titled Drug crisis needs state action, Weinberger advocated for “an overdose prevention site pilot”, among other things.
Given Miro’s pursuit of increased visibility, I’ll happily use his administration’s record to highlight one of my concerns about these “injection sites.”
In 2022, Mayor Weinberger’s administration, under approval from the council, initiated the construction of a “pod” community on Burlington’s Elmwood Ave to address homelessness.
Throughout the process, residents, including those with disabilities and seniors in McKenzie House Apartments, expressed strong discontent and had legitimate safety concerns regarding the risks associated with a ‘steel-tent city.’
Rather than addressing errors and community concerns, Director Brian Pine, a Weinberger administration official, justified the lack of public consultation, stating “It’s not in the public interest to have the city go solicit neighborhood support for something as important as this.”
I could foresee something similar happening with Vermont’s soon-to-be-mandated injection sites.
Where, despite concerns over safety for themselves and their neighbors, communities will be forced into submission because these sites will be “too important”.
Once “safe injection” sites are fully operational in Vermont, the state legislature is likely to explore other approaches too.
For example, the idea of “safe supply,” involving the government furnishing controlled substances to individuals grappling with addiction, has already been part of Vermont’s discussions on addressing the drug crisis.
Judges at both the state and federal levels have shown receptiveness to the concept that governments can be held accountable through legal action for causing direct harm to their citizens.
Across the United States, youth activist groups have been filing lawsuits against both states and the federal government, alleging their negligence has worsened the impacts of climate change.
What, then, is to happen if Vermont faces lawsuits from current or former addicts, accusing the state of not just overseeing self-harm but also providing the means for Vermonters to harm themselves?
Weinberger, like nearly every Democrat, pledges in each election to address the root causes of our crises, emphasizing real solutions rather than merely treating symptoms.
Though, in this case, Democrats are again very obviously treating a symptom, overdoses instead of addiction itself, aren’t they?
Our representatives ought to own up to voters and be honest. Acknowledge that, for decades, they’ve dropped the ball on Vermonters lost in drug addiction.
They should admit that they’ve achieved nothing, creating virtually no new treatment beds and outright refusing to tackle underlying economic hardship which often contributes, massively, to drug addiction.
Our nation was once fooled by Big Pharma and the Sackler family when they told us that OxyContin was a “safe” drug. Now, the Sacklers are bowing to multi-million dollar lawsuits and our communities sit in continuing ruin.
If you are in Vermont, safe injection sites are coming to a community near you. And now is the right time to reflect on what the words “safe” and “compassionate” really mean to you.
Burning Sky is dedicated to providing critique and commentary on the issues of the day from an unapologetic perspective, fueling change in the heart of Vermont. Authored by Kolby LaMarche every Saturday.