No Life-Saving Drug Consumption Sites For California As Gov. Newsom Vetoes Bill, What Now?

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) returned a bill to authorize safe consumption sites for illicit drugs as part of a pilot program without his signature. The move came on Monday, about three weeks after California Senate approved the measure, authored by State Sen. Scott Wiener (D), and sponsored by Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), along with other co-sponsoring organizations. 

“This bill authorizes certain jurisdictions to approve any number of “overdose prevention programs," often referred to as safe injection or consumption sites, where individuals may use illegal controlled substances at supervised facilities,” wrote Gov. Newsom in a veto note. “I have long supported the cutting edge of harm reduction strategies. However, am acutely concerned about the operations of safe injection sites without strong, engaged local leadership and well-documented, vetted, and thoughtful operational and sustainability plans.”

The initial volunteer pilot program under the bill was set to last until January 1, 2028. Nevertheless, the Governor noted he was worried about the “unlimited number of safe injection sites” it would allow and that the measure did not have “a strong plan” to ensure it would serve its purpose. 

It seems Newsom is not entirely against these programs but wants to see stricter regulations. For that reason, he instructed the Secretary of Health and Human Services to gather city and county officials to discuss “minimum standards and best practices for safe and sustainable overdose prevention programs.”

“I remain open to this discussion when those local officials come back to the Legislature with recommendations for a truly limited pilot program — with comprehensive plans for sitting, operations, community partnerships, and fiscal sustainability that demonstrate how these programs will be run safely and effectively,” the Governor wrote. 

Activists Are Disappointed, But Will Continue To Fight

“We are incredibly disappointed and heartbroken that Governor Newsom has put his own political ambitions ahead of saving thousands of lives and vetoed this critical legislation," said Jeannette Zanipatin, California state director of the DPA. "Despite the Governor’s remarks, LA, San Francisco and Oakland have already designated this a priority by authorizing the programs locally and have been standing ready to implement them quickly. We have already engaged local stakeholders in a robust process and they have taken active steps towards implementation in order to be part of the pilot SB 57 would have put in place. We don't need additional processes. What we need is action. Without action, people are going to die.” 

Senator Wiener called the veto tragic. "For eight years, a broad coalition has worked to pass this life-saving legislation. Each year this legislation is delayed, more people die of drug overdoses — two per day in San Francisco alone. While this veto is a major setback for the effort to save lives and connect people to treatment, we must not and will not let it end this movement. We will continue to fight for an end to the War on Drugs and a focus on drug use and addiction as the health issues that they are.” 

Photo: Benzinga Edit; Sources: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons and Alena Shekhovtcova via Pexels