A recent state drug proposal could further enable struggling addicts to keep using illegal substances while providing financial benefits to drug companies, bureaucrats, and disingenuous treatment centers, according to treatment advocate Ginny Burton in an op-ed for Center Square. She raises concerns over the effectiveness of the “Safer Supply” drug policy being discussed by Washington State health officials.

The proposed program has the state government purchasing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin, then distributing the illegal drugs to addicts across the state. It is similar to other “Harm Reduction” drug policies where addicts “safely” receive their addiction supplies from the government.

Many in the recovery community are critical of these programs since administrators rarely encourage REAL abstinence treatment – the most effective strategy for helping people get off drugs and become self-sufficient.

Harm reduction policies grew out of the 1980s AIDS epidemic when needle exchanges were created to stop the spread of the disease among drug users. The controversial policy has since expanded to include distribution of free drug paraphernalia and safe-injection sites.

Yet, due to skyrocketing overdose deaths, even some of the most ardent progressive leaders are attacking the strategy. San Francisco Mayor London Breed recently criticized the strategy, staying, “Harm reduction from my perspective is not reducing the harm.” 

Burton fears these programs enable self-destructive drug use instead of helping addicts find sobriety:

“We have redefined basic words to obscure our failures. “Treatment’ no longer means working toward abstinence-based recovery – it means indefinite maintenance on replacement drugs. ‘Services’ don’t guide people toward independence – they create permanent dependence.”

Harm reduction has been the prevalent drug policy in Seattle/King County for the past decade as nearly every year overdose death records are broken.

In 2021, the Washington Legislature created the Substance Use Recovery Services Advisory Committee (SURSAC) to provide recommendations on addiction policies. In 2023 SURSAC approved the spending of $300,000 to form the “Safe Supply Workgroup.” 

On June 13 the workgroup presented its recommendations to SURSAC. Included in its proposal was the forming of a state “buyers’ club” to purchase and distribute heroin and other dangerous drugs. The workgroup also supported adding controversial “supervised consumption” sites where drugs are prescribed and administered by government employees.

Both recommendations received negative media attention and some members of SURSAC are attempting to distance themselves from the workgroup and its suggestions.

Despite this recent setback, it is hard to imagine this issue will go away since powerful special interest groups (notably state employee unions and pharmaceutical companies) will prosper under this enabling strategy,

ChangeWA will continue to monitor this issue in the coming months. We encourage our followers to read Burton’s article and decide for themselves if Safer Supply is a policy which will end an addict’s dependency on destructive drugs.