California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Monday vetoed a bill to create a pilot program for safe drug consumption sites in major cities across the state—a decision viewed as a setback to the harm reduction movement that contradicts the governor’s progressive drug policy reform record.
There was an open question about what Newsom would do with the harm reduction legislation from Sen. Scott Wiener (D), with recent reports signaling that he was undecided and concerned that signing it would be politically damaging as he considers a potential presidential run.
That’s despite the fact that polling has found that a bipartisan majority of Americans support opening facilities where people could use currently illicit substances in a medically supervised environment to mitigate overdose deaths and provide people with treatment resources. That includes a plurality of support from Republicans.
But on Monday, Newsom made his choice, declining to bring the innovative harm reduction approach to California, much to the chagrin of advocates nationwide who have been closely following the legislation.
“I have long supported the cutting edge of harm reduction strategies,” Newsom said in a veto message. “However, I am acutely concerned about the operations of safe injection sites without strong, engaged local
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