Amid the epidemic of heroin and opioid overdoses ravaging American communities California Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-13) is proposing taxpayer-funded medical oversight of heroin addicts to be sure they do not inject too much of the drug when taking it.
Her bill–AB 186–would also provide medical oversight for people addicted to opioids.
According to The Sacramento Bee, AB 186 would “authorize governments in eight counties to test ‘safe injection sites’ in areas with heavy opioid consumption. Adults could bring drugs they had already obtained and use them with clean needles.” Taxpayer-funded “emergency care” would be available as well.
The eight counties hosting the pilot program for AB 186 would be pilot programs would be “Alameda, Fresno, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Mendocino, San Francisco, San Joaquin and Santa Cruz counties.”
Eggman said her bill is about “treating addiction as a public health issue and getting people help rather than criminalizing it.” She admitted the approach is unorthodox but said it is working in other countries.
California State Sheriffs’ Association legislation director Cory Salzillo rejects Eggman’s approach, saying it “sends the wrong message about drug use” by giving it a government sanction. He added, “You may be able to monitor what happens inside of the facility while it’s happening, [but not] what the after effects may be when the person leaves the facility.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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