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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 7, 2022 10:09 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Christine M. Tartaglione |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Prohibiting Safe Injection Sites in the Commonwealth |
| In the near future, I plan on re-introducing legislation that would ban the implementation of any safe injection sites – also known as safe consumption spaces or overdose prevention sites – throughout the Commonwealth. In the 2021-22 session, this legislation was previously SB 249 and co-sponsors included Senators Baker and Stefano. The opioid and overdose epidemic has taken the lives of too many Pennsylvanians, with a drug overdose death rate of approximately 42 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020, a figure that increased significantly from 2019. This is completely unacceptable, and we are committed to finding the appropriate strategy, including adequately funding treatment and community-based recovery support services, to help curb this epidemic and dramatically decrease the amount of overdose deaths occurring in the Commonwealth. Safe injection sites are counter-productive to this overall goal. They give refuge to those with opioid use and other substance use disorders and allow them to continue using these deadly substances. While we work diligently to find effective ways to help those with this disease that need assistance, it would be a disservice to go backwards and fail to give these individuals a pathway to improved health and wellness. This legislation would completely prohibit safe injection sites in Pennsylvania. This commitment allows us to continue to support those with opioid and other substance use disorders, while ensuring that we are not creating an environment that could harm these individuals or our hard-working Pennsylvanian communities. Please join us in co-sponsoring this important legislation and help us move forward in addressing the opioid and overdose epidemic. |
Introduced as SB165