Denver, CO – Politicians in the legislature appear to have created a backdoor way to authorize taxpayer-funded heroin injection sites in Colorado.
The bill, SB20-028, Substance Use Disorder Recovery, is sponsored by the usual suspects. Senators Brittany Pettersen (D-Jefferson) and Kevin Priola (R-Adams), and Representatives Bri Buentello (D-Pueblo) and Leslie Herod (D-Denver) all signed on to sponsor the legislation.
Section 12 of the bill creates the $3.5 million Recovery Support Services grant program. It is funded by tax dollars from the general fund.
Specifically, in Section 12 (3)(d), the program allows groups to use the funding to establish a “social and physical environment supportive of recovery.”
14 (d) ASSIST IN ESTABLISHING AND SUSTAINING A SOCIAL AND
15 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTIVE OF RECOVERY;
If the definition in Section 12 (3)(d) is broad enough, and we think it is, the fund could be used to create heroin injection sites funded by taxpayers.
Considering the widespread backlash against enabling heroin and intravenous drug use in 2019, the bill sponsors need to clarify this point in the bill text.
The broad definition under the grant program seems entirely intentional, however. It is no secret that Pettersen wants to create taxpayer-funded injection sites. Though she claimed she would not introduce injection center legislation in 2020, this appears to be an attempt to move her agenda to enable drug use forward.
This is how it would work.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser joined a lawsuit over supervised injection sites in Philidelphia, this year. The judge later ruled that the non-profit fighting the federal “crackhouse statute” was not in violation of the federal law. The statute bans facilities from selling or allowing the use of illicit drugs.
The funds in the Recovery Support Services grant program are to be used to fund non-profit community groups, just like the one in the Philidelphia lawsuit.
This bill absolutely provides the framework for taxpayer-funded heroin injection centers.
Regardless of the intent, enabling our friends and family to slowly kill themselves with illicit drugs is bad policy. Hopefully, sponsors consider this loophole before they proceed.
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This will only make more addicts. Please don’t tax me for this, I think it’s a bad idea.
This will only enable addicts. It does not solve anything. It will destroy neighborhoods as addicts and gangs will take over nearby neighborhoods. Visit “injection sites” in Vancouver, BC if you wish to see the long term consequences of these dope pushing “sites”.