SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers will wait until next year to continue considering a bill that would give opioid users a place to inject drugs in supervised settings.
Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco said Tuesday that he was told the Assembly Health Committee will delay a hearing on his bill until January 2022. The California Senate has approved a bill in April 2021 that would allow opioid users a place to inject drugs in supervised settings in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles County while trained staff are available to help if they suffer accidental overdoses.
The goal of the bill is to prevent accidental overdose deaths from opioid use. The so-called safe injection sites have emerged around the world in recent years. It's part of a movement to rethink treatment for people addicted to powerful opioids.
Currently the sites are illegal in the United States, but legal in Canada.
In 2018, a similar bill was introduced, focusing on safe injection sites in San Francisco, however, it was vetoed by then Gov. Jerry Brown.
RELATED STORIES FROM ABC10:
- California's recall election will cost $276 million, recall date set for Sept. 14
- Here's a look at the gas tax, new California laws that went into effect July 1
- High court: California can't collect charity top donor names
- Sacramento offering more rebates for water conservation
- President Biden gives update on COVID-19 vaccination program
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
Watch more from ABC10
