First US Drug Overdose Prevention Center Opens In New York City - Mayor

Addicts in New York City will be able to safely inject themselves with drugs in the US first official Overdose Prevention Center (OPC), Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2021) Addicts in New York City will be able to safely inject themselves with drugs in the US first official Overdose Prevention Center (OPC), Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday.

"Overdose Prevention Centers are a safe and effective way to address the opioid crisis. I'm proud to show cities in this country that after decades of failure, a smarter approach is possible," de Blasio said in a press release.

OPCs, also referred to as supervised consumption sites, are safe places where people who use drugs can receive medical care and be connected to treatment and social services, the release said.

Today, legally sanctioned supervised consumption sites operate in 11 countries globally, including Canada, Germany and Switzerland. But sites in the US are informal and low key since they violate Federal anti-drug laws, according to media reports.

Provided federal officials don't intervene, New York's OPC - now in operation - will be the first in the nation licensed by local health authorities and operate openly, the release said.

The US suffered a record 90,000 overdose deaths in 2020 - mainly from opioids such as fentanyl, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control.