In September 2016, the New York City Council announced that the city would allocate $100,000 in taxpayer funds for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct a 6 month study on the feasibility of opening “Supervised Injection Facilities” in New York City. These centers allow addicts to inject illicit drugs like heroin under medical supervision with sterile syringes in a safe and clean setting, while the taxpayers of New York pay for it.
There are about 100 of these facilities, mostly in Europe and Canada. However, in January Seattle became the first place in the United States to open one of these centers. New York City should not be the second.
To date, the administration has refused to comment on the status of the study. We deserve to know the status of this study; where is it and when will it be released? One has to wonder if the delay in its release is merely a stall tactic so that the voters don’t catch wind of this crazy plan before the election.
Last year, when this study was first announced, I appeared on the Fox News Channel with Tucker Carlson to explain to a national audience why I was leading the fight against opening these facilities in New York City.
Specifically, Mayor de Blasio and the City Council should be spending their time, energy, and our taxpayer money solving the homeless crisis, fixing our subways, and getting addicts the professional help they need instead of creating legal shoot up galleries in our communities.
Any funds spent on this issue should be used to break the cycle of the addict’s dependency on drugs, not by taking an action that condones heroin use. These people need help, hope, and rehab. We are not helping them by sentencing them to a life of addiction.
In addition, drug dealers are true entrepreneurs; they’ll relocate close to a Supervised Injection Facility to better serve their customer; the addict, who must supply the product to inject at these centers. If one of these facilities were to open close to 86th Street in Bay Ridge common sense tells you that there will be dealers setting up shop between the subway entrance and the facility. In addition, the junkies will be walking up and down our local blocks looking to get the money for their fix anyway they can; so it is a safe bet we will see an even greater increase in car and home robberies.
Also, how can we expect law enforcement to prosecute drug laws if City Hall legalizes its use in certain areas?
Already this year, the City Council, has allocated $27 million in tax dollars to pay the legal fees used to block the deportation of illegal aliens who are felons being held on Rikers Island. Now they’ve come up with an ill-conceived plan to create a legal shooting gallery for heroin addicts; undermining law enforcement and putting neighborhoods at risk. New York City should not become a sanctuary city for drug dealers and heroin junkies also.
We have a right to know the status of this plan and if complete, the recommendations. We have a big enough drug problems as it is, we don’t need taxpayer-funded Injection Facilities appearing in our neighborhoods.
Bob Capano is the official Reform Party candidate in the 43rd City Council District, and also a Republican candidate for this seat in the September 12th GOP Primary. He has been an adjunct Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice for 15 years.
