BY Marissa Ventrelli | COLORADO POLITICS
The Colorado legislature is diving anew into the debate over “safe injection sites” — places where a person can consume illicit drugs under the supervision of medical personnel— with opponents saying it encourages illegal drug use, while supporters arguing it will yield positive results in the ongoing public health crisis.
Drug overdoses have killed thousands of Colorado residents in the last few years. Last year, 522 people died from drug overdoses in Denver alone, the most since tracking began in 1923, according to city records. And though final numbers for overdose deaths statewide won’t be available until this summer, the Colorado Department of Health and Environment recorded 1,454 total drug overdose deaths among Colorado residents from 2023, thus far.
The House Health and Human Services committee this week advanced, on a party line 9-4 vote, legislation to allow municipalities to operate “overdose prevention centers,” but it is unclear whether it will meet the same fate as a similar measure from last year.