Advocates for legal drug injection sites in Denver have renewed hope to revive their efforts after a federal court in Philadelphia last week ruled in favor of opening the nation’s first opium den such center there.
Ed Rendell, a former chairman of the national Democratic Party and former Pennsylvania governor, came all the way to Denver Thursday to celebrate their legal success and host a fundraiser to open an injection site here.
Even though the Third Circuit Court of Appeals has no jurisdiction this far west, advocates think the court ruling renews their chance to open an injection site across the street from the State Capitol, Denverite reports.
Democrat state Sen. Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood says she’s not willing to revive her bill to make injection sites legal, an action the Denver City Council has already completed.
But she and others seems to think the Pennsylvania court ruling sets a precedent bolstering their chances if state lawmakers were bypassed and the issue went straight to the federal court in Denver’s jurisdiction.
We remain committed in our opposition to public drug injection sites for heroin, meth and cocaine, and even Rendell admitted it’s not a solution to the opioid crisis.
Enabling drug addicts will do more harm than good, to the addicts, and society as a whole.
Thankfully, Colorado U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn, a Trump appointee, told Denverite the Pennsylvania decision is not binding here, and the Justice Department plans to appeal the decision.
“This office maintains that any premises intended to be used as a so-called injection site for illegal drugs violates federal law, and we will continue to act accordingly.”