SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California Gov. Jerry Brown has rejected legislation that would have allowed San Francisco to open what could be the nation’s first supervised drug injection sites under a pilot program.
Brown issued a veto Sunday, saying “enabling illegal and destructive drug use will never work.”
San Francisco could still choose to open such a site but it would be in violation of federal and state law.
Advocates of “safe injection” sites say the supervised locations prevent drug overdoses and provide access to counseling.
The U.S. government and other critics say taxpayers shouldn’t be enabling users.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed has vowed to open a supervised injection site in the city, where public drug use is a major problem.
There are safe injection sites in other countries, but none in the United States.
