The city of Seattle is planning on launching what has become a very controversial subject. The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance is planning on opening places that heroin addicts can go and “safely inject heroin.” Its explanation as to why the organization is doing this is because of the heroin epidemic that has hit the country and its city.
Even the local city council and the mayor are on board with the project. They are trying to prevent continued overdosing and the spread of disease. Hepatitis C is spreading rampantly through the community of IV drug users. People share needles and all kinds of diseases that are incurable get spread. The idea is that there is now no need for addicts to share needles if they are given the opportunity to get clean ones every time they use.
Then there is the issue of overdosing. These places will be staffed with people in the medical field that will have a stock of Narcan. Narcan is the drug that is used by hospitals, EMTs, and law enforcement when someone overdoses on heroin or opiate pain medications.
Please don’t be mistaken. This is not a form of treatment. This is purely harm reduction.
The goal of a practice like this is to lower the death toll, not treat addiction.
Treatment is restoring people to a happy and functional life, free from the need to use chemicals.
