California governor vetoes bill for overdose prevention sites

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Aug. 22 aimed to set up sites in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland where people could use illegal drugs surrounded by staff trained to treat overdoses. 

The legislation, Senate Bill 57, could prompt "a world of unintended consequences" because it allows for an unlimited number of overdose prevention sites, sometimes called safe injection sites, Mr. Newsom said in a letter to the Senate. 

"I have long supported the cutting edge of harm reduction strategies," he wrote. "However, I am acutely concerned about the operations of safe injection sites without strong, engaged local leadership and well-documented, vetted, and thoughtful operational and sustainability plans."

The governor instructed the state's secretary of health and human services to revise the plan and work with local leaders for a potential pilot program. 

Mr. Newsom has signed other sweeping healthcare bills, such as one passed in July that allows the state to be the first to manufacture and sell its own low-cost insulin, but this recent veto could indicate a national political strategy, according to The New York Times

"He likes to be ahead of the curve," Jessica Levinson, a political analyst who teaches at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, told the Times. "But if he signs this, the ads kind of write themselves: He becomes 'Governor Heroin.'"

The bill was introduced in 2020 and written by state Sen. Scott Wiener, who tweeted Aug. 22, "The veto is tragic & a huge lost opportunity. These sites are proven to save lives & connect people to treatment."

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