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Gov. Newsom Vetoes Bill for Safe Drug-Injection Sites in California


LOS ANGELES – Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation on Monday that would have allows some California cities to open supervised injection drug sites as part of a pilot program to stem the tide of fatal overdoses.

“I have long been an advocate of advanced harm reduction strategies,” he said in a veto letter. “However, I am deeply concerned about the operation of safe injection sites without strong, participatory local leadership and documented and documented, and audited operational plans. unique.”

Mr Newsom added that he was worried about “a world of unintended consequences” that could result from licensing an unlimited number of websites. He directed the state’s secretary of health and human services to work with local leaders to establish statewide operating standards for such facilities.

The proposal would make the nation’s most populous state the one with the most extensive testing of supervised injection sites, where illegal drug users can do so under the supervision of The staff is trained to intervene in overdose.

When the bill passed the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature earlier this month, it received fewer votes in favor than needed to override the veto.

The governor’s decision to sign or veto the bill is closely watched as a signal of his political ambitions outside of California.

Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, built a country profile as an outspoken defender of common progressive causes like abortion rights and gun control. But political observers speculate he would be hesitant to sign the injection sites bill, which could provide powerful fodder for his conservative critics if it becomes law. .

Jessica Levinson, a political analyst who teaches at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said of Mr Newsom recently: “He likes to stay ahead of the curve. “But if he signs this, the ads will write themselves: He becomes ‘Governor Heroin.’”

Proponents of the measure, including locally elected officials, say the synthetic opioid fentanyl is promoting The worst overdose crisis in American historyone has become close entwined with California’s catastrophic housing emergency. They said the bill gives Mr Newsom the opportunity to save thousands of lives while also saving taxpayers the cost of ambulance rides and emergency room visits.

The measure would allow the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oakland, as well as Los Angeles County, to establish supervised injection facilities in communities already struggling with open drug use and frequent overdose. At the centers, addicts will be provided with items such as clean needles, and can be connected to treatment services.

In 2018, when he campaigned for governor, Mr. Newsom said he was “very, very open” for an injection site test project, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. But he didn’t signal his place on this year’s proposal until his announcement on Monday.

Opponents of the proposal, including Republican lawmakers and some law enforcement groups, argue that setting up the sites would encourage illegal drug use while not asking for favors. ask the user to seek treatment.

Scott Wilk, Republican leader of the state Senate, said in a statement Monday: “Those struggling with addiction need help, not a legitimate place to let off steam.

Mr Newsom’s predecessor, Jerry Brown, a Democrat, vetoed a similar bill in 2018, saying that without claims of treatment, the websites would not reduce drug use. .

Cities from Seattle to Philadelphia have planned to open supervised injection sites. The nonprofit group set up to open the Philadelphia center has been sued by the Trump administration, but Biden administration officials are now discuss a settlement of the case, signaling an openness to the idea at the federal level.

Scott Wiener, the California lawmaker who wrote the bill that Newsom rejected on Monday, said the governor could be upset to see the Biden administration offer a more progressive drug policy than its famous home state. his freedom.

He described the veto as a tragically missed opportunity to better tackle one of the state’s most pressing problems.

Mr. Wiener said in a statement on Monday that the proposal “is not a radical bill by any means”. “We do not need additional studies or working groups to determine if safe sites of consumption are effective. We know from decades of experience and numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies that they work. “

He called the veto power “a big setback,” but said he and other lawmakers would continue to press the state “to focus on drug use and addiction as the health issues they face.” having”.

The governor said in his veto letter that he was open to future legislation allowing for a “really limited pilot program.”

Mr. Newsom will run for re-election this year and is widely expected to win easily, after defeating a recall attempt in 2021. His strong position has allowed him to devote more time and resources. for other problems.

He sparked speculation about his presidential ambitions when he bought ads in Florida and Texas criticized the Republican governors of those states. After Roe v. Wade is overturned, Mr Newsom issued a “wake-up call” with his own party about the erosion of power at the hands of a more disciplined, better organized GOP

Although Mr Newsom has so far staunchly denied that he is interested in running for president in 2024, a recent poll suggests he would be the front-runner – at least among the populace. California.

Follow to the poll, released by the Berkeley Institute for Government Studies last week, nearly two-thirds of California voters do not want President Biden to seek a second term. Mr Newsom and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who finished first in California’s 2020 Democratic presidential election, have been tied as the leading contenders to replace the president in the ticket if he is not running for office. Vice President Kamala Harris, another Californianthird.

On Monday, a spokesman for Mr Newsom’s campaign, Nathan Click, again denied that the governor had any interest in running for president.



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