BILL NUMBER: S1973
SPONSOR: MURRAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law and the education law, in relation
to prohibiting supervised injection sites
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Defines and prohibits supervised injection sites.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 3302 of the public health law by adding a new
subdivision 42 that defines a supervised injection site.
Section two amends the public health law by adding a new section 3395 to
make it unlawful for any person to own, operate, work in or volunteer at
a supervised injection site.
Section three amends subdivisions 5 and 6 of section 3390 of the public
health law and adds a new subdivision 7 regarding violations and
enforcement
Section four amends section 6530 of the education law by adding a new
subdivision regarding definitions of misconduct by a health care profes-
sional.
Section five states act shall take effect immediately
 
JUSTIFICATION:
While harm reduction is important in combating the devastating heroin
and opioid epidemic, there is not sufficient evidence that supervised
injection sites will help those suffering from a substance use disorder
get the treatment they need.
Not enough is known about "safe injection sites" to justify experimental
programs at this time, and there could be serious unintended conse-
quences. Allowing so-called "safe injection sites" amounts to normaliz-
ing serious and dangerous drug use as a harm reduction strategy when the
true impacts of such sites on the patients and community is unclear,
from the little data available from existing pilot projects nationwide
at this time.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: S4896 - Referred to Health
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on immediately.

Statutes affected:
S1973: 3302 public health law, 6530 education law