Are Bay Staters ready for supervised drug injection sites to open in local communities?
As opioid overdose deaths spike to record-high levels in Massachusetts, it appears that residents overwhelmingly support allowing cities and towns to establish overdose prevention centers.
A new poll released on Thursday shows that 70% of Massachusetts voters support a State House bill that would give the green light for communities to open supervised drug injection facilities.
People at overdose prevention centers would be able to bring drugs and consume them under the supervision of trained healthcare workers.
These facilities have helped prevent overdose deaths in countries across the world — including in Europe, Canada and Australia — and also increase access to treatment and recovery services, according to advocates.
“As a medical provider, I know overdose prevention centers will save the lives of many people struggling with addiction,” said Miriam Komaromy, medical director of Boston Medical Center’s Grayken Center for Addiction.
“It’s encouraging that an overwhelming number of citizens agree that overdose prevention centers are a commonsense way to help keep people safe,” Komaromy added.
This new Beacon Research survey of 603 voters comes in the wake of the Bay State’s highest ever recorded year for opioid-related overdose deaths with 2,357 lives lost. Since 2016, statewide overdose deaths have increased by 9.1%.
According to the new poll released by Massachusetts for Overdose Prevention Centers, 76% of voters see opioid use in Massachusetts as a major problem. Nearly as many (73%) believe the government should be doing more to address the issue.
Almost 8-in-10 voters (77%) would rather see the state respond to the opioid epidemic as a public health problem, instead of as a law enforcement issue.
The state Legislature is considering a bill that would give municipalities the authority to establish overdose prevention centers. According to the new poll, there is bipartisan support for this legislation — with majority support among Democrats (85%), unaffiliated voters (63%), and Republicans (53%).
The Massachusetts Medical Society has been advocating for the establishment of overdose prevention centers in the state, stressing that these sites save lives and help connect people with treatment and rehabilitative services.
Massachusetts Medical Society President Barbara Spivak said, “As disparities and overdoses caused by synthetic drugs like fentanyl continue to rise and ravage families and communities, it is clear the majority of residents of the Commonwealth agree with physicians in their belief that the time is now to deploy a proven harm reduction tool that can save the lives of our patients.”
