Pennsylvania Senate approves legislation to ban safe injection sites
Fox News
The state Senate in Pennsylvania is pushing to ban safe injection sites. Every Republican in the state was in favor of the bill, while nine of 22 Democrats were against it.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Christine Tartaglione, D-Philadelphia, said she supports recovery and harm-reduction efforts, such as needle exchanges and mobile methodone units, but not what she called "programs that perpetuate addiction without a path to recovery."
Sen. Nikil Saval, D-Philadelphia, said efforts to ban the centers are based on misconceptions that they provide drugs or contribute to crime. Rather, the centers are sanitary and staffed by professionals who save lives by connecting addicts to treatment and services that can help them and reduce pressure on police and emergency responders, Saval said.