Safe Injection sites won’t stop illicit drug use. But they could save lives.

Len Bias was a college basketball star destined for greatness. As a forward for the University of Maryland, he faced off against a young Michael Jordan. In 1986, Bias was selected second overall in the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. But not even two full days after the draft, Len Bias died of a heart attack caused by a cocaine overdose. Bias became a catalyst for new drug laws.

Later that year, President Ronald Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. Within that act is a measure known as the “crack house statute”. In 2021, the statute was used to deny Philadelphia so-called safe injection sites. But now, the Department of Justice is signaling it may be open to supervised injection sites. It’s an unconventional idea. But when you have a problem as monstrous as the opioid and overdose epidemic – it just might call for unconventional solutions.

Watch the video on MSNBC.