Congressman Tom Reed (NY-23) on Wednesday declared his adamant opposition to the use of heroin injection sites in our communities.
This follows the announcement from the Mayor of Ithaca calling on New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to approve a supervised drug injection pilot program in his city.
“Injection sites will bring an influx of violence, crime and homelessness into our backyards as dangerous drug dealers will naturally follow the increased heroin users into our communities,” said Rep. Reed. “Only an extreme liberal ideology would support these spaces, and I will not help these radicals in their effort.”
“I don’t want mothers to fear for their children’s lives as they walk to get onto the school bus, or for fathers to worry that their families will go hungry if they are mugged after a late night of work. I care about the hardworking people who choose to live in the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes and Western New York, and it would be unfair to them if we allowed their communities to become a drug pusher’s paradise,” concluded Reed.
A New York State Assembly bill was submitted to allow cities to create their own heroin injection sites. The Tompkins County Legislature and the City of Ithaca are expected to urge the New York State Legislature to immediately pass the bill.
“I applaud Congressman Reed for taking a stand on this difficult issue,” Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker said. “Deadly and hyper-addictive, heroin is a ‘try and die’ drug – first-time use leads directly to death or addiction.
“There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ injection site. Our federal, state and local resources need to be spent on prevention, education and treatment – not on fostering deadly drug abuse,” concluded Baker.
“I support Congressman Tom Reed’s opposition to a proposed heroin injection site,” Elmira Chief of Police Joseph Kane said. “This is not an appropriate way to address the opioid crisis in our region.
“Police Officers take an oath to uphold the law, and I am not aware of any exemption in the New York State Penal Law that allows for the legal possession of heroin simply because the intent is to use the drug at an injection site,” concluded Kane.
“Injection sites are controversial for this opioid dependence epidemic,” Yates County Sherriff Ron Spike said. “Because of some jail success stories, I would advocate using the Vivitrol program that is a non-addictive, once-monthly shot used with counseling so we can treat the person’s addiction.”
