On July 7, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed a bill into law authorizing a two-year pilot program of harm reduction centers to prevent drug overdoses. This makes Rhode Island the first state in the country to authorize the establishment of such facilities. Harm reduction centers – also called supervised consumption services, supervised injection facilities, or overdose prevention services – are facilities where people can consume pre-obtained substances under the supervision of trained staff in a hygienic and safe space.
 
Hundreds of evidence-based, peer-reviewed studies have proven that harm reduction centers help prevent overdose deaths, do not encourage additional drug use, and provide an entry to treatment for those that want it. They also reduce risky injecting and transmission of infectious diseases, including HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B, and improve public order, reduce crime, and are cost-effective. These services are intended to complement – not replace – existing prevention, harm reduction, and treatment services.
 
“This victory in Rhode Island gives us hope that there are policymakers that are willing to actually lead and do what needs to be done to save lives in the face of one of the worst public health crises of our time,” said Lindsay LaSalle, DPA’s managing director of policy.
 
“With at least 92,000 of our friends and family members lost to overdose in 2020 alone, we simply cannot wait any longer. We have to use every public health resource at our disposal – especially the ones we know work. And we have to do it now. There are mountains of evidence, from years and years of experience in other countries, to show that these centers save lives, increase the likelihood of a person entering treatment, and provide people access to other vitally important health resources.”