Federal Ignorance and the Battle for Supervised Injection Sites

Authors

Ben Longnecker

Abstract

From 1999 to 2017, over 400,000 people have died from opioid overdoses. The federal government recognizes the opioid epidemic as a crisis, yet it has failed to slow the surge of overdose deaths. Some states are, therefore, looking at the implementation of supervised injection sites. There are over 100 supervised injection sites around the world in twelve different countries, and these sites have produced hopeful data on counteracting the opioid crisis’s negative societal effects. However, the federal government has seemingly ignored any empirical evidence and continues to threaten state-sponsored supervised injection sites with criminal prosecution. This Note argues that any federal challenge to these supervised injection sites should be unsuccessful and will also dispel federal authorities’ conclusory allegations that these sites do not practically combat the harms of the opioid crisis.

Recommended Citation

Ben Longnecker, Federal Ignorance and the Battle for Supervised Injection Sites, 74 U. Mia. L. Rev. 1145 (2020)
Available at: https://repository.law.miami.edu/umlr/vol74/iss4/8