San Francisco has announced new policies regarding the distribution of safe drug use supplies, requiring that organizations offer counseling services to recipients. The initiative aims to strengthen connections to treatment services while also increasing funding for these operations. Daniel Tsai, the city's public health director, highlighted the importance of evolving approaches to address ongoing drug issues, reaffirming San Francisco's commitment to scientific evidence in harm reduction. Concerns were raised about the potential consequences of limiting access to supplies, emphasizing the necessity of secure funding to implement effective counseling programs without endangering users' health.
“We have to do something differently,” said Daniel Tsai, the new director of the Department of Public Health, during a press conference at the steps of City Hall on Wednesday. “And that's part of what's in this policy.”
“The use of sterile syringe access programs is two and a half decades of evidence-based, peer-reviewed scientific literature that has a legacy here in San Francisco. We're not backing away from that.”
“To the degree that restricting paraphernalia forces people back to injecting, you'll see overdoses go up and also see infections go up,” Ciccerone said.
“I do like creating greater linkages between harm-reduction programs and treatment programs. It might cost a bit of money, though. Hopefully they are prepared for that.”
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