Where the Drug Movement Is Going: Supervised Consumption Sites - Beware Wyoming

by Wyoming Liberty Group

How's this for twisted logic: People are going to do dangerous things that can harm themselves, so go ahead and let them do it and other people will be there just in case something goes wrong.

That's the insane logic among many of those trying to legalize drugs throughout the country. That, by the way, includes pro-pot forces who, for years, have been trying to wedge their way into our very own state of Wyoming, where marijuana remains illegal. So, we should be paying attention.

Far from the Cowboy State, Rhode Island is poised to open what are termed safe consumption sites. Which is a euphemism for a legal place to allow drug users to shoot up and otherwise take illicit drugs, whether it's heroin, cocaine or some other hazardous mind-altering substance.

Supervised consumption sites have become the logical extension of the pro-drug movement. They began by getting states to legalize so-called medical marijuana years ago. (It's hardly medical.) Then, they have pushed for so-called recreational marijuana, which has overtaken many states throughout the land. (It's hardly recreational.) But that's just the beginning; they're now pushing to get other drugs legalized, like psychedelics, and they've already made significant inroads in places like our neighbor, Colorado.

Now, they are pushing so-called safe drug consumption sites.

Rhode Island is just the most recent example. Their drug consumption site plans to have such features as "inhalation booths" and "injection booths."

"We are firmly committed to [ensuring that] a diverse population of people who use drugs are able to access resources, and having inhalation booths is integral in that," said one of its organizers.

Goodness.

The Rhode Island organizers also tout other features of its center, which includes drug-use supplies, testing for such diseases as HIV or hepatitis C. People at the center will also be able to wash their clothes, take showers and mingle.

"People who use drugs deserve compassion and care, and we hope this space can be utilized by a broad base of individuals," said one of its organizers. "By co-locating the center in the same building as our drop-in services like drug checking, case management, laundry, hygiene services as well as healthcare practitioners, we hope to also expand the ability for people who use drugs to access a diverse set of resources."

Rhode Island is the first state to legalize such supervised drug consumption sites but New York City already has opened a couple of its own. (Many neighbors weren't happy about it, especially since one of the sites in Harlem is across the street from a daycare center.) And these U.S. localities are following in the footsteps of other countries that have opened supervised drug consumption sites, including Canada and Portugal.

But why? Drug proponents say that users are going to use drugs anyway, so a supervised consumption site will lessen the harm; hence, the term, "harm reduction." It's a term that has become popularized, although it's really a form of propaganda.

Because why in the world should we just sit by idly while people destroy themselves with drugs? Why is it okay to just let people harm themselves by shooting up drugs? How is it different from allowing people to jump off buildings and having people down below catch them? Wouldn't it be better if people didn't jump off buildings in the first place?

That, by the way, is another way of saying that the answer to drug use is not more drug use. It's treatment. People with a drug addiction need help. They need treatment.

Drug proponents point to the drug crisis that has claimed tens of thousands of lives in recent years. They say supervised drug consumption sites help save lives. For instance, the New York organization said they've helped thousands avert deadly overdoses. What they don't say, however, is that numbers are fungible. In other words, these consumption centers can cite numbers, asserting that people haven't sustained a fatal overdose on their premises, but it doesn't necessarily take into account the drug users who do overdose shortly after leaving the consumption center and are rushed to the ER.

Nonetheless, the folks in Rhode Island are not only focused on building a drug consumption site; they are hoping to create a template for other places in other parts of the country to do the same. Which is one good reason why we in Wyoming should be paying attention.