Contacts:
David Stammerjohan, Office of Susan Eggman 916-319-2013
Jeff Cretan, Office of State Senator Scott Wiener, 415-308-6782
WHAT: Press Conference on AB 186 to Pilot Safe Consumption Services
WHEN: Thursday, August 31 at 9:30am
WHERE: Governor’s Press Room, Room 1190, First Floor, State Capitol, Sacramento, California. LIVESTREAM here or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUYBlXyQfIo
WHO:
Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the State of California and the United States. The American Medical Association, California Society of Addiction Medicine, California Association of Drug and Alcohol Program Executives, AIDS Project Los Angeles, among others, have called for the piloting and evaluation of Safe Consumption Services (SCS) as part of a continuum of care to prevent fatal drug overdoses, prevent transmission of HIV & hepatitis C, and to provide a low-threshold entry point for drug treatment, medical care, social services and mental healthcare. Even President Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General has said SCS should be piloted in the United States pursuant to local control.
AB 186 (Eggman/Wiener/Friedman) would create a legal framework for local governments in 8 counties to pilot and evaluate Safe Consumption Services, if they so choose. There are almost 100 programs existing in 60 cities of Europe, Canada and Australia, and the evaluations have been impressive. San Francisco and Seattle appear poised to be the first cities in the US to pilot SCS.
August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day.
Election Day is around the corner… and we must be prepared to shape the national conversation about drugs. We need 250 donors to come forward before July 31!
English 
Spanish