Safe Injection Sites, an Oxymoron

Nov 27, 2018, 10:17 PM

The Denver city council has approved a "Safe injection site" pilot. As a mom of a heroin addict, I am completely against this program. It makes no sense to me.

My son has stolen from me, his siblings, his dad, his grandparents, his friends, his friends' parents, retail stores, and eventually, allegedly, a bank. All for a heroin fix. He has never had a problem getting clean needles. In fact, he stored a big pack of them hidden in the business parking garage across the street from the apartment we used to live in. The ONLY thing that would ever guide him to a safe injection site is convenience. When high or needing a high, he could give a rat's ass about the cleanliness of a needle or about the possibility of an overdose. Heroin addicts don't think that way.

If I was concerned about setting up a safe environment for my son to kill himself, I would not have kicked him out of my home. The only one that can save the addict is the addict. I don't mean they can do it alone but they have to be the one to decide to quit. Supporting their high is not supporting their recovery.

WTFU Denver City Council! Making it easy to be a heroin addict is not the answer. This program will not help the problem. In fact, it could fuel it even more by normalizing and accepting the epidemic. I personally don't want to live in a neighborhood with addicts openly shooting up all around me. Yes, it's everywhere to some degree, but I don't want it in my face. I live in the burbs so it isn't going to affect me directly but if this "safe site" was set up in my neighborhood, I would fight like hell against it. NIMBY.

One reason the city council is so desperate to do something is because of the high rate over overdose deaths in Colorado. Their theory is that because the medical community is responsible for producing so many addicts, we need take unrealistic measures to protect them. I understand the desperation, I have felt it myself, but we cannot as a society fuel and support the addiction, regardless of the "why".

I realize I may sound hard and crass but I have that right. I have lived the hell of loving and almost losing an addict. I have talked to Sam at length about his addiction and his motives and his fears. For the life of me, I cannot see one circumstance that this program would benefit my kid or any other addict.

We all have an opinion. Mine is that this is a stupid idea. If we can't beat them, throw in the towel and support their addiction? I don't think so. Obviously, I don't have the answer. Obviously, Denver city council doesn't either.

Think about it, any time you ever made a gut-wrenching, heart-pounding, anxiety inducing and extremely uncomfortable change in your life, it was because life got too difficult the way it was. Change was the ONLY option. Same with addiction. Make it easy to use, they will use.

Where there is life, there is hope. Love you. #nomoreshame #dccheadsneedtoremainoutsideofasses