Commission: Drug consumption sites should be part of comprehensive strategy
A commission formed to develop ways to reduce the harm caused by substance use disorder has filed its final report, ending its seven-month study by recommending that Massachusetts pursue a pilot drug consumption site program to help prevent deaths from opioid overdoses.
The commission was chaired by state Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders and its members included Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, state Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, and Jessie Gaeta, chief medical officer at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, among others.
“Although there are existing harm reduction programs, there is no comprehensive statewide strategy,” the commission wrote in its final report. “A strategy should be developed to expand harm reduction resources across the state, targeting areas with the highest rates of opioid-related overdoses. The strategy should have a strong education component focusing on the public at large and the health care community.”
