Brooklyn, NY – According to an article in Politico today, the New York City Council is expected to allocate $100,000 to the city’s health department to study supervised injection facilities, a controversial program that provides intravenous drug users a place to get high while under medical supervision.

NYS Conservative Party Chairman Michael R. Long believes the $100,000 can be put to better use than sending a message that it is okay to use intravenous drugs as long as you use a government sanctioned place.

Sadly, intravenous drug deaths are skyrocketing, however, the answer is not to provide a safe place to use drugs. Investment in facilities to end drug dependency, education of the dangers of intravenous drugs and providing more funds to law enforcement agencies to keep the drugs off the streets is a far better use of taxpayer’s money than setting up places that will do nothing to end the plague of drug dependency.

By setting up a “safe, clean haven for high-risk, vulnerable New Yorkers” to help prevent drug overdoses and disease transmissions will ultimately do more harm than good. It is based on a false premise: intravenous drug use is NEVER safe. The unfortunate addicted person will be given a false sense of security tricked into believing that using intravenous drugs in a government sanctioned place is safe; and even more importantly, those who are tempted by intravenous drugs may also be given that same false sense of security.