Feds Object To Proposed Denver Injection Site For Illegal Drugs

DENVER, CO – The Denver U.S. Attorney's Office released a statement objecting to the Denver City Council's approval of a public supervised injection site, staffed with medical personnel for illegal drug use.

Saying the operation of such sites is "illegal under federal law," the office of new U.S. Attorney Jason R. Dunn and the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a joint statement Tuesday saying the proposed efforts "do not comply with federal law risk action by the U.S. Attorney’s Office using any and all federal remedies available."

People breaking federal laws against providing places for illegal drugs to be consumed risk penalties including "forfeiture of the property, criminal fines, civil monetary penalties up to $250,000, and imprisonment up to 20 years in jail," the letter stated.

The USAO statement predicted the supervised site, which would still require approval from the state legislature, would increase public safety risks. "Just like so-called crack houses, these facilities will attract drug dealers, sexual predators, and other criminals, ultimately destroying the surrounding community," the statement said. "More importantly, the government-sanctioned operation of these facilities serves only to normalize serious drug usage – teaching adults and children alike that so-called 'safe' drug usage is somehow appropriate or can actually be done 'safely.'"

According to one study of a supervised injection site in Vancouver, since 2003 when the site opened, there has not been one overdose death near the site, which serves about 7,000 people a year. The study said about one overdose occurs per 1,000 injections at the site, and preventive intervention by staff has reduced overdoses, ambulance calls and HIV infections. There are about 90 safe injection sites around the world, the study said.

Another study which summarized 75 different studies in Canada and Australia said supervised injection sites "were not found to increase drug injecting, drug trafficking or crime in the surrounding environments."

Denver City Council Member Albus Brooks, who introduced the ordinance authorizing the pilotprogram said in a tweet that the overdose crisis in Denver has reached the status of a health "emergency."

“As a designated local public health department, the city through the @DDPHE has the authority under law to address and regulate this type of emergency. Choosing not to save the lives of our neighbors is an injustice that threatens to destabilize,” Brooks tweeted.

Related: Denver City Council Approves Safe 'Injection Site' For Drug Users

READ the U.S. Attorney's Office letter HERE.

Image via Shutterstock

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