Hauppauge, NY - September 29, 2016 - NY State Assemblyman Andrew P. Raia, Ranking Member of the New York State Assembly Health Committee joined Warren Zysman, CEO of ACI Addiction Treatment Centers, to denounce the New York City Council for recently approving a $100,000 study on "supervised injection facilities" that would give the ability of drug addicts to shoot themselves up with illegal street drugs under medical supervision.
"The last thing government should do is entertain illegal ways to combat the heroin crisis," said Assemblyman Andrew Raia. "This study only icreases the stigma for recovering addicts and non-for-profits that are trying to save lives.
In the U.S., state and federal laws would put both users and operators of such a facility that New York City is studying at risk of arrest and loss of their healthcare licenses.
"Instead of allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars to study illegal and dangerous methods for users to harm themselves, maybe the City Council should use that money to fund more patient beds and overburdened facilities," exclaimed Warren Zysman, who is on the front lines of patient treatment.
Before leaving Albany in June, the New York State Legislature passed sweeping legislation to help combat the heroin epidemic that was signed by Governor Cuomo. These measures include an additional $75 million in state resources for increased treatment, beds and services.
"There is only a finite amount of resources, and it should be going towards treatment that has already been proven safe and effective, not dangerous and illegal," said Assemblyman Raia.