Philly’s supervised injection site backers say they won’t delay opening while Justice Dept. appeals
A site has not been selected and fund-raising continues
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
The Philadelphia nonprofit hoping to operate the nation’s first supervised injection site it would not let an expected appeal by the Justice Department — or threats from the U.S. attorney in the city — stop it from opening soon. In a court filing, attorneys for Safehouse asked U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh to enter a final order cementing his October decision that an overdose prevention facility like the one organizers have proposed would not inherently violate federal law. Once the order is signed, the filing said, Safehouse intends to launch as “soon as possible,” moving the nonprofit closer to a standoff with U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain, who has vowed to “use all enforcement tools” at his disposal to shut down any site that opens before the appellate process plays out.
