A federal judge ruled Wednesday that supervised consumption sites, where individuals could use pre-acquired drugs under medical watch without facing arrest, would not violate a section of the Controlled Substances Act as government prosecutors alleged. Sen. Cindy Friedman, who served on a commission that this spring recommended the state pilot one or more sites, said the ruling ‘gives us momentum in Massachusetts to move our harm-reduction site pilot forward.’
“It is distressing that U.S. Attorney Lelling would try to create a barrier to desperately needed harm-reduction care for those suffering from a terrible illness,” Friedman said in a statement. “Conflating harm reduction sites with crack houses is ridiculous and dangerous. Establishing pilot sites is a logical, thoughtful, and humane action we must continue to push for in Massachusetts to reduce harm and save lives.”