More than 52,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2015, mostly from heroin and prescription painkillers. California lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow eight counties, including LA, to open sites where people could legally inject drugs. Medical professionals would supervise to prevent a fatal overdose. Vancouver was the first city in North America to open a supervised injection center in 2003, and the model is now spreading to other Canadian cities.
Would drug injection sites work for California? Lessons from Vancouver
Credits
Guest:
Dr. Perry Kendall - British Columbia's chief medical officer
Host:
Madeleine Brand
Producers:
Gina Pollack,
Sarah Sweeney,
Michell Eloy,
Amy Ta,
Christian Bordal,
Quinn O'Toole