There's been a lot of controversy surrounding the idea of supervised injection facilities over the years. This comes as New York State Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal of Manhattan is proposing the idea of supervised shoot-up sites across the state.
Before you say no way to the idea, there are some studies out there that show benefits to having SIFs, not just for a patients but in reducing crime overall.
For example, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a decrease in the number of car break-ins was observed in Vancouver neighborhoods where supervised shoot-up sites were built. However, there the number of drug trafficking and assaults/robberies did not decrease or increase.
Studies also show people who go to a shoot-up facility are more likely to seek addiction treatment, and in the process, the sites would help prevent the spread of HIV amongst users.
According to Rosenthal, there are 66 cities across the world in 10 countries that have a SIF. Only California and Maryland in the U.S. have proposed legislation that would allow shoot-up facilities to operate. New York could become the third in the near future.
