EDITOR’S NOTE: This post was revised on Aug. 23, 2017 at 10 a.m.:

By Jack Mayne

The Burien City Council dodged a quick decision on banning safe drug injection sites in the city, but told City Manager Brian Wilson to research hiring a human services manager “to handle health and human services,” as well as oversee the assessment of the city’s homeless issue.

The Monday (Aug. 21) Council meeting also included a move by City Councilmember Lauren Berkowitz to have an ordinance written to prohibit landlords from discriminating against to rejecting or not accepting housing vouchers or other public sources of income. The motion is still open.

Councilmembers also honored some local heroes, as well as longtime Police Chief Scott Kimerer on his retirement.

Injection sites on ballot

At the outset of the meeting, Councilmember Debi Wagner moved to add to the night’s agenda “a timely item” – the consideration of banning safe drug injection sites in the city. King County has said that it would not place a site in any city that does not want them.

Councilmember Lauren Berkowitz objected to adding the issue to the agenda. She suggested other long-standing items already on the agenda should be considered first but the Council voted to consider the issue.

City Attorney Lisa Marshall said there is a potential problem because Initiative 27 is already certified for the November ballot. If passed, that measure would ban such sites in the entire King County.

Marshall also said any discussion of the subject by the Council without prior public notice could “be a risk” to raise a Public Disclosure Commission complaint, even though the Burien-only issue is “somewhat different” from the initiative which would ban all such sites in the entire county.

A several minutes-long squabble over Council rules affecting the proposed ban occurred between Berkowitz and Wagner before a 4-3 vote that moved the issue to a later time.

Marshall said she will have a proposal that the Council either support or oppose Initiative 27 at the Sept. 18 meeting. City staff are still working on how the issue of safe injection sites will be presented to the Council, since there is also a county-level initiative (I-27), along with growing interest in Burien for Council to weigh in on this matter.

Mayor Krakowiak did allow four people who previously signed to talk against the issue for and against to speak.

Human Services Commission
In a number of Council meetings earlier this year, the Council addressed the topics of health and human services funding and homelessness in Burien, then delayed further discussion on homelessness and put it up for discussion in August.

Laura Crandall, city management analyst, told the Council in a memo that city “staff have begun reviewing how organizations that receive City funds are providing services, whether they meet standards, are compliant with state and local laws, and if their location is compatible with their mission.”

Last June 5, the Council approved Ordinance 669 to form a Human Services Commission and established this new advisory body to provide advice and recommendations related to human services issues.

The Council also voted in June to change the city’s human services funding formula from a percentage of the general fund to a per capita funding method, starting at $6.50 per capita for the 2019–2020 budget.

Crandall said Monday night (Aug. 21) that the council “may want to consider having a “human services needs assessment performed,” and said City Manager Brian Wilson will be recommending hiring a human services manager “to handle health and human services,” and oversee the assessment. That person would also seek additional sources of income.

Berkowitz asked if the city manager was now asking for the authority to be human services manager and Wilson said the Council had not given “clear direction” to proceed “in a particular direction.” He sought “Council authorization to explore this opportunity and present this at a future date,” probably at the year-end midterm review of the city’s biennial budget.

Berkowitz says do it now
Berkowitz moved to give Council approval to hire a human services manager and conduct a needs assessment of the homeless issue.

She and Councilmember Tosta said the issue had been talked about “many times” and indicated she supported Berkowitz’s move.

Councilmembers Austin Bell, Debi Wagner, Stephen Armstrong and Mayor Krakowiak said they did not have enough information and were not ready to go forward immediately. The mayor said she would be “more comfortable” discussing it in context of the city budget.

Berkowitz said she “cannot believe we are moving too fast” after all discussions on the subject. Bell said it was not right to hire a new position without some consideration of what the position would do, or how they would work – “we don’t just do something from a motion from the dais.”

Berkowitz’s motion failed 5 to 2, with she and Tosta voting for it.

Wilson said he would come back in the future with a full plan on how such a department would work, how much it would cost and what accomplishments would be envisioned.

Landlord discrimination
During comment period, resident Irene Danysh said the Council had the power to forbid potential landlords from discriminating against people who have county-issued housing vouchers or other forms of government income.

City Manager Wilson said many cities have enacted Source of Income Discrimination, or SOID, to protect prospective tenants using Section 8 housing vouchers from income discrimination when applying for rental housing.

In May 2017, King County had a waiting list, which is now closed, of 3,500 for vouchers. Once an applicant receives a voucher, it is valid six months; after that time, it becomes invalid.

Laura Crandall said that so far this year, 533 families in Burien applied for vouchers and 111 were placed on the waiting list by a lottery.

Berkowitz moved to have an ordinance written to prohibit landlords from discriminating against rejecting or not accepting vouchers or other public sources of income. She was supported by Bell and Tosta.

Mayor Krakowiak opposed the Berkowitz proposal because of unintended repercussions and held open the prospect of more solutions. Edgar agreed with Krakowiak as wanted more information on “what can be done and what can’t be done.”

Wagner said there seems to be a “pot of money for every ill that is out there” and she was not ready to more forward on the issue immediately and wanted more information on whether it is fair to landlords and numbers of people potentially involved.

Armstrong said the law was not working in Seattle and he wants more information and that the Council should slow down on spending for such issues.

Berkowitz’s proposal was not voted upon and the Council adjourned.

Heroism and retirement
The Council also presented Heroism Awards to Burton Powers, Marc Anderson and Natasha Stapp for their fast work giving CPR and aid to Christopher Smith who had a seizure, but recovered fully due to the work of the individuals (read our previous coverage here).

Council also honored retiring longtime Police Chief Scott Kimerer for his “commitment to community involvement and outreach with diverse populations as an essential law enforcement philosophy” and thanked him for “his dedicated service to the community” since his initial appointment as chief in 2003.

Senior Reporter Jack Mayne passed away in December, 2021. In his honor we have created the Jack Mayne Journalism Scholarship.

33 replies on “Safe injection site stalled; Council approves plan to hire human services director”

  1. Portugal is held up as the gold standard for “decriminalizing” drugs and not “judging” the addict. Their programs has some success due to wrap-around services and is mandatory. Drug dealing is still illegal and dealt with harshly. Other EU countries tried to emulate the program. With the 2008 recession, their budgets were slashed for the addicts in program and caused overdoses, increased crime, and increased disease transmission, increased homelessness. Can you see us having an Injections Site AND wrap-around services? I don’t believe there will be funding for both. Why not use any proposed funding and increase needed detox/rehab facilities and sober living environments along with all the needed physical/mental health and social services. The way I see it, Injections Sites are prolonging the suffering and misery of the addict with the usual end result of death. Which would be more compassionate?

    http://www.globaldrugpolicy.org/Issues/Vol%201%20Issue%203/A%20Critical%20Evaluation.pdf

    THE JOURNAL OF GLOBAL DRUG Policy AND PRACTICE
    A Critical Evaluation of the Effects of Safe Injection Facilities
    Garth Davies, Simon Fraser University

    Conclusion: Taking Causality Seriously
    On the subject of the effects of SIFs, the available research is overwhelmingly positive. Evidence can be found in support of SIFs achieving each of the goals listed at the beginning of the evaluation. In terms of our level of confidence in these studies,the assessment offered here is far less sanguine. In truth,none of the impacts attributed to SIFs can be unambiguously verified. As a result of the methodological and analytical problems identified above, all claims remain open to question.

    http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/pubs/_sites-lieux/insite/index-eng.php

    Vancouver’s INSITE service and other Supervised injection sites: What has been learned from research?

    Final report of the Expert Advisory Committee

    http://www.kiro7.com/news/local/councilwomans-idea-for-seattle-safe-injection-site-locations-belltown-lake-city/466411868

    “At the Vancouver site, the manager said since opening in 2003, the overdose death rate in the area around the clinic has dropped 35 percent. But the clinic also estimates 15 to 20 percent of people using the site come from other parts of the country specifically for it.”

    http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/is-vancouvers-safe-drug-use-site-a-good-model-for-seattle/
    “Although research appears to bear that out, many of the studies that attest to Insite’s success are small and limited to the years after the center opened. For instance, a 2011 study published in the journal The Lancet found a 35 percent reduction in overdose deaths in the blocks surrounding Insite, versus 9 percent in the rest of Vancouver.

    But that often-cited study looked only at the period two years before and two years after the center opened, not the ensuing decade.”

    http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/is-vancouvers-safe-drug-use-site-a-good-model-for-seattle/

    “Although Insite is paired with a drug-treatment center, called Onsite, Berner and other critics point out that completion rates are low. Of the 6,500 people who visited Insite last year, 464 were referred to Onsite’s detox center. Of those, 252 finished treatment.”

    The Vancouver Insite was placed in a crime-ridden, drug-ridden, low-income neighborhood. It only got worse.

    http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/is-vancouvers-safe-drug-use-site-a-good-model-for-seattle/
    “Although the Insite center is a model, the Vancouver neighborhood surrounding it is nothing to emulate, advocates acknowledged.

    “If I came from a city like Seattle and I went to that Insite place, it would scare the hell out of me,” Kral said. “I would think, ‘Are we going to create one of those?’ ””

    http://news.nationalpost.com/news/vancouvers-gulag-canadas-poorest-neighbourhood-refuses-to-get-better-despite-1m-a-day-in-social-spending
    Vancouver’s ‘gulag’: Canada’s poorest neighbourhood refuses to get better despite $1M a day in social spending

    What do you think would happen if this was placed in a middle-class neighborhood, or, ANY Santa Cruz neighborhood?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=audzsuRMWBE&t=586s
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwJkqTZ5H_s

    http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/brian-hutchinson-thousands-of-used-drug-needles-have-become-the-new-normal-for-vancouver
    4/27/2016
    Brian Hutchinson: Finding used drug needles in public spaces has become the new normal for Vancouver

    http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/mark-hasiuk/insite-vancouver_b_3949237.html

    “Ten years later, despite any lofty claims, for most addicts, InSite’s just another place to get high.”

    The 100% positive studies on Vancouver’s Insite (Safe Injection Facility) was done “Early last decade, Montaner and Kerr lobbied for an injection site. In 2003, the Chretien Liberals acquiesced, gave the greenlight to B.C.’s Ministry of Health, which, through Vancouver Coastal Health, gave nearly $1.5 million to the BC Centre (that’s Montaner and Kerr, you remember them) to evaluate a three-year injection site trial in Vancouver.

    I asked him about the potential conflict of interest (lobbyists conducting research) and he ended the interview with a warning. “If you took that one step further you’d be accusing me of scientific misconduct, which I would take great offense to. And any allegation of that has been generally met with a letter from my lawyer.”

    Was I being unfair? InSite is a radical experiment, new to North America and paid for by taxpayers. Kerr and company are obligated to explain their methods and defend their philosophy without issuing veiled threats of legal action.”

    In the media, Kerr frequently mentions the “peer review” status of his studies, implying that studies published in medical journals are unassailable. Rubbish. Journals often publish controversial studies to attract readers — publication does not necessarily equal endorsement. The InSite study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a favourite reference of InSite champions, appeared as a “letter to the editor” sandwiched between a letter about “crush injuries” in earthquakes and another on celiac disease.”

    Really? What kind of “science” produces dozens of studies, within the realm of public health, a notoriously volatile research field, with positive outcomes 100 per cent of the time? Those results should raise the eyebrows of any first-year stats student.”

    And who’s more likely to be swayed by personal bias? InSite opponents, questioning government-sanctioned hard drug abuse? Or Montaner, Kerr and their handful of acolytes who’ve staked their careers on InSite’s survival? From 2003 to 2011, the BC Centre received $2,610,000 from B.C. taxpayers to “study” InSite. How much money have InSite critics received?”

    There has never been an independent analysis of InSite, yet, if you base your knowledge on Vancouver media reports, the case is closed. InSite is a success and should be copied nationwide for the benefit of humanity. Tangential links to declining overdose rates are swallowed whole. Kerr’s claims of reduced “public disorder” in the neighbourhood go unchallenged, despite other mitigating factors such as police activity and community initiative. Journalists note Onsite, the so-called “treatment program” above the injection site, ignoring Onsite’s reputation among neighbourhood residents as a spit-shined flophouse of momentary sobriety.”

    http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/pubs/_sites-lieux/insite/index-eng.php

    Reducing the Transmission of Blood-Borne Viral Infections & Other Injection Related Infections

    “Self-reports from users of the INSITE service and from users of SIS services in other countries indicate that needle sharing decreases with increased use of SISs. Mathematical modeling, based on assumptions about baseline rates of needle sharing, the risks of HIV transmission and other variables, generated very wide ranging estimates for the number of HIV cases that might have been prevented. The EAC were not convinced that these assumptions were entirely valid.
    SISs do not typically have the capacity to accommodate all, or even most injections that might otherwise take place in public. Several limitations to existing research were identified including:
    Caution should be exercised in using mathematical modelling for assessing cost benefit/effectiveness of INSITE, given that:
    There was limited local data available regarding baseline frequency of injection, frequency of needle sharing and other key variables used in the analysis;
    While some longitudinal studies have been conducted, the results have yet to be published and may never be published given the overlapping design of the cohorts;
    No studies have compared INSITE with other methods that might be used to increase referrals to detoxification and treatment services, such as outreach, enhanced needle exchange service, or drug treatment courts.
    Some user characteristics relevant to understanding their needs and monitoring change have not been reported including details of baseline treatment histories, frequency of injection and frequency of needle sharing.
    User characteristics and reported changes in injection practices are based on self-reports and have not been validated in other ways. More objective evidence of sustained changes in risk behaviours and a comparison or control group study would be needed to confidently state that INSITE and SISs have a significant impact on needle sharing and other risk behaviours outside of the site where the vast majority of drug injections still take place.”

    “It has been estimated that injection drug users inject an average six injections a day of cocaine and four injections a day of heroin. The street costs of this use are estimated at around $100 a day or $35,000 a year. Few injection drug users have sufficient income to pay for the habit out through employment. Some, mainly females get this money through prostitution and others through theft, break-ins and auto theft. If the theft is of property rather than cash, it is estimated that they
    must steal close to $350,000 in property a year to get $35,000 cash. Still others get the money they need by selling drugs.”

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-price-hike-for-lifesaving-opioid-overdose-antidote1/
    Massive Price Hike for Lifesaving Opioid Overdose Antidote

    Suddenly in demand, naloxone injector goes from $690 to $4,500

    Should we follow the money? Who would be profiting bigly from the increased use of naloxone?

    http://www.bcmj.org/premise/supervised-injection-sites%E2%80%94-view-law-enforcement
    Supervised injection sites—a view from law enforcement

    Jamie Graham, former chief of Vancouver Police has outlined the successful model of dealing with an epidemic: Support, mandatory treatment, abstinence, and counseling as all part of the solution. My recover(ed)(ing) addict friends say they would agree.

    https://mosaicscience.com/story/iceland-prevent-teen-substance-abuse
    Iceland knows how to stop teen substance abuse but the rest of the world isn’t listening

    In Iceland, teenage smoking, drinking and drug use have been radically cut in the past 20 years. Emma
    Young finds out how they did it, and why other countries won’t follow suit.

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/05/05/pigeon-nest-needles-highlights-vancouvers-drug-problem/101323878/

    Pigeon nest of needles highlights Vancouver’s drug problem

    Some graphs about how overdoses in Vancouver, BC have increased:

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4937e3e285c02900541696be294c99859dd986654fc2ea3b3b1f41f673618dc7.png

    One more: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d2f8aa542d4033a1f198a3b0e3e802482a4becf1e45b04e77079e989e5c6460a.jpg

  2. Safe injection sites in Burien? You have got to be kidding me. It should be a no brainer tto say no to any such site in Burien. Burien is no place for such a site and many cities in King County have soundly rejected the idea.

    Have any council members visited the area in Vancouver, BC that has a safe injection site? Please visit and come back and say that would be a good idea for Burien.

    The city council should soundly reject Burien as a potential site for safe injection sites.

    Come on, get real and support the citizens of Burien, and their desires, not the misguided, feel good, options of some council members.

    This subject really should not be open for discussion but soundly rejected.

    Scott

    1. Well for any city council member to make a judgement call on this by traveling to Vancouver,bc. They would have to see the before and after results of the safe injection locations. Which might make them change there mind in the opposite direction of what you want.

      Since Vancouver,bc has had and still has a very bad situation. Then the city council member could see how we could keep those situations from happing in burien.

      Also Scott have you ever had a family member or friend with addiction issue with opioids.

      Yes if you look from the outside on this situation it may seem ridiculous but if you ever had a loved one that lost there life. Because they had a severe pain issue and a doctor decided to prescribed heavy dosages of oxycodone, fentanyl patches and morphine for years. That lead to addiction then overdose and death. You might look at the issue’s a little different. It’s not just street drugs that cause addiction.

  3. I read the whole article 3 times. What a bunch of gobbleygook.

    However, I assume it reflecs the actual meeting.

    If the City Council wants to hire someone to determine whether or not we allow drug injection sites in Burien, I will volunteer for the job, no pay. Rest assured, we will not have drug injection sites.

  4. CM Wagner one again taking the lead and being proactive.
    Exactly the type of leadership Burien needs.

  5. Burien you are a small town and please act like a small town.

    Safe injection sites is something for Seattle, if they want it, but please don’t send the big city issues to small towns surrounding the city. People that live in towns around the city don’t want the hustle and bustle of the big city and certainly don’t want the problems.

  6. Somebody ask me what “NOMTOM” means. It’s an acronym related to four candidates who would support drugs being shot up on the City dime.

    1. Yes keep thing as they are then the junkies can keep car prowling are neighborhoods steeling are stuff. Instead of getting help with there issue’s. Getting clean stuff and controlling there dosage to ween them off the garbage . Instead of them getting stuff stronger some times weaker other times and no one keeping control of it. Leaving the drug dealers to make more money off the addict.

      The addict causing more harm to them selves and the community. That’s sounds like the perfect plan QofA. Sure then you can continue to blame the members of the city council you disagree with for the crime and homeless issue’s.

      1. OK times up – I have creatively developed the appropriate term “NOMTOM” which stands for ~NO Matta Tosta Olguin Marx~ I hearby relinquish my copyright of the term for all to use electronically, on paper or t-shirt.

  7. That Tosta & Berkowitz are of one mind and completely in-sync with one another cannot be denied. No one wants to live around a heroin injection site any more than they would want to live next to a dump.

    1. You could say the same about hospitals they inject opiate painkillers in to people in a control environment.

      Under the view of a doctor similar to how these safe injection sites work. The only difference is one person is addict trying to get help and the other one hopefully won’t become a addict in the end. But unfortunately they tend to become a addict especially when ejected opiate painkillers or given strong dosages of time release pills or patches.

      1. You can also include dental clinics oral surgery clinics and plastic surgery clinics to the list of places around burien that also use strong medication to control pain and calm nerves. Some in a control environment some for at home with self control being the only factor keeping people from abuse.

        Not only opioid medication some also prescribe Benzodiazepin class medications witch can be even more addictive.

    2. If Nancy or any other council members are for it lets have Nancy put one down on Puget Sound next to her million dollar house. Nancy since its election season are you for or against the city of Burien spending tons of money on this issue? Please respond question goes for Austin also.. Hey maybe all the council members can chime in. Lets see who responds.

      1. Well rlc that’s a idea. But remember what happened a few years ago in Normandy Park and the metal health housing. It came to death threat’s and website of employees and owners name’s and addresses being posted.

        Would rather as post by Scott has seemed to verify people shooting up on the street or do we need people going to a location similar to a regular doctors office and sitting down getting there dose. With the needle being put in a medical trash can afterwards instead of left on the street or in a park. While also weening them off the stuff. Being paid for by insurance keeping the money out of drug dealers pockets. Also keeping the need to steal to make money to get more drugs not needed.

        Then like QofA pointed out some heroin comes from Mexico and Spanish gangs so lowering or getting rid of there profit margin. Would help to move them out of the area or in to 8×10 cells in a gated community ran by federal prison system.

        Then there the homeless addicts that can’t get housing because of there drug issue. So if they went to one these places and are able to get clean then they could get housing or have a better chance at housing or staying in a shelter. Instead of being a bother here in burien as some see them as.

        But then again don’t we all want the Spanish gangs and homeless here . I mean if we don’t have those and Berkowitz is leaving this blog comments area are going be dead silent. What will we have to complain about who passed gas on aisle 3 at Fred Meyers around 2 pm.

    3. David Silvers, if you do not want to live around an injection site, you better move out of Burien. One can hardly walk anywhere without finding discarded syringes.
      This is not just happening in our fair burg, it’s going on around the country. I encourage you and the others who are posting on this topic to get up to date on the use of opioid/heroin and what the injection sites are doing to lessen the tragedy of so many young lives lost. If you want the ‘junkies’ off the street, wake-up to how this program is working to that end.

      1. You are wrong – this is not happening everywhere around the country. And you can certainly go MANY places and see ZERO syringes in the US.

        Also, the HEROIN is coming in from MEXICO & Latin America. Ban sanctuary city status as it draws illegal aliens.

        1. David Silver, do you accept that a large part of the current drug problem is the result of the opioid problem? People who no longer can get an opioid prescription go looking on ‘the street’ for opioids and end up getting into heroin. This certainly is well documented and is a problem all over the country. People of all ages fall into this trap. SIS can help people who are ashamed and desperate to get out of their habit. To ignore the situation as you and other are suggestion is not going to help.
          As a person who does not drive, I walk and ride the buses. Traveling in such a way gets one out among one’s fellow human being – up close a personal. I can assure you there are many people in Burien who could use some wise advice and guidance. If one is out early in the day, one occasionally sees syringes on the sides of the street, in popular parking lots and our local parks. Depending on the situation, I have sometimes discarded them. I assume they are generally discarded by cleaning crews. It would be interesting to know how often the Burien cleaning crews come across discarded syringes.

        2. David what your failing to realize is that. If people that are using heroin and buying it from these Latin gangs or Spanish gangs . Start going to these locations to get there fix. It takes the cash flow away from the gangs making them wanting to move somewhere else. Also there is a chance some of these people may flip on dealers and inform the police. Then they can bust them and get them out of the city.

          Just something else to think about

  8. CO

    So you want the city / county to be an enabler? Not very passionate in my mind.

    Can they set up the SIS within a block of where you live or near your business?

    They are already shooting up on 152nd & 4th SW. You want more?

    And to answer your question, yes. What difference does that make?

    Scott

    1. What you don’t understand is the people who have a addiction would be able to shoot up in a control environment not out in street as you expressed they do. I haven’t seen anyone shooting up personally in public in the 30 or so years I lived around burien. But of course I am not looking around watching what ever person is doing every second of the day.

      Scott I would guess you have a lot of time on your hands to witness these activities. Did you inform the police of these activities you witness. Are you sure they where using illegal drugs or was it diabetic medication.

      So what’s not compassionate about wanting to help someone with a problem. Also I live near a alcohol treatment house. The people there have been pretty good no big issue’s. Herd some yelling one time in the 4 years it was open. Now it moved on to a different location.

      It’s a tough situation to have or not have a safe injection site. Yes I do agree it sounds ridiculous from the outside looking in. But unfortunately with how things are now it’s just going to get worse if we don’t do something.

      Think if some one shoots up on the street and overdoses the cost to city for a EMS to arrive give them a shot of meds to revive them. To end up visiting the same person over and over. The costs build up .

      Now in a safe injection site they would be seen by a doctor (state insurance could pay for it or Obama Care) and fiqure out a dosage level be watch taking that dosage in a private secured room . Then cut down that dosage slowly until the person is off the stuff. Plus connect them to more rehab services to hope get back on track in life.

      This is also not a over night fix and might not work for every addict. But it will help hopefully.
      Or like I told QofA we keep the system as it is. We get more people car prowling breaking into stuff. To feed a habit and fill a drug dealers pockets with cash. If we get these people help and then bust the dealers it kills two birds with one stone.

  9. This program has a track record of working and is most likely to lessen the number of users in our area. Doing nothing but follow-up after thefts and deaths certainly hasn’t lessened the number of users.
    If it were up to me, I would have high school classes spend some time at the sites to see what the lives of users turns in to. Perhaps many are seeing it first hand at their school, or neighborhood, or family. Seeing a path for a user to get out of the trouble they are in is a valuable lesson. It’s not an easy path but it is a viable path and better than the one they are on. Having support to stay on the better path is crucial.

      1. It maybe sicking for you to think about. But if you think schools do DUI preventing seminars. That act out a drunk driving accident. To show what can happen in those circumstances. Then in health class they show pictures of people who have different STD infections to show what can happen in those circumstances.

        So to show them how these places work not only showing them the bad things. But showing how they help people with a problem. Also showing them how to prevent them selves from running into those issue’s.

        Could actually be a real life lerning experience instead of going oh heroin sure I will try that I can add to my experimenting with drugs file. Then getting addicted and possibly overdosing. Or becoming a problem for tax payers to pick up the bill.

      2. It also wouldn’t be much different than a student that wants to be come a medical professional or veterinary. Would see in there process of learning. Same if they are looking into law enforcement.

        Also I remember seeing a video in health class in middle school of a woman giving birth and even though it a natural thing. I think it was more disturbing to see. Then some going to clinic and sitting down with a doctor and getting a injection. When you think not much different than getting a common flu shot.

        The problem is your thinking of some junkie self injecting and not realizing this would be a doctor office setting. Where the needle ends up in a medical waste basket. Instead of a park or street corner and the drug dealers lose a customer.

  10. CO

    You have no clue about my life and have no reason to comment / criticize the extra time on my hands. Perhaps I just take a more hands on approach than you do.

    Have you opened up your neighborhood to a SIS? Have you visited Vancouver? I have. And, if you want that in your community, I feel sorry for you.

    I be done, future comments are worthless.

    Scott

    1. Yes I actually would be fine with one these being near my neighborhood. My neighborhood currently not zoned for businesses but there areas near by there also some other treatment facilities around burien maybe putting it next to one them would be a idea . Also these locations will need some type of sercuity protocol .Yes I have seen Vancouver I actually watch a police program for awhile about Vancouver similar to the show cops in the u.s. I have seen why these safe injection site are unfortunately needed. I lerned about these places years ago I read articles about them in other countries how some work and some don’t there are things they learn from each other.

      What are your suggestions to help with the problem Scott give up on the issue just because you can’t win argument on a blog. Good hope I never here from you again. One less bickering moron.

      Since the issue now of days is not just some idiot that choose to get high on heroin. There are a lot people that have pain issue’s that there doctors proscribed opioid medication to. But since kicked them off it and the people are still in pain so they look a different option. Unfortunately some find heroin and it’s usually a down ward spiral from there. Or they purchase pills from off the street ( sometimes stolen ones from pharmacy hold ups).

  11. I”m wondering if the individual shooting stations will be equipped with fume hoods because when heated, fentanyl and some of the other opioid concoctions give off vapors that are so powerful they can affect someone from several feet away.

    I personally witnessed a meth cooking couple get hosed down by the Seattle Fire Dept. near their makeshift encampment under the First Ave. So. bridge in South Park before being placed into a police car.

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