Jack Martins: They Did What?!

Press Release

New York State Senator Jack Martins, Republican candidate for Congress in NY-3, blasted the de Blasio administration and New York City Council for its plans to spend taxpayer dollars to explore creating injection facilities where illegal drug users could shoot up heroin and get high under medical supervision.

"The solution to preventing overdoses is not making it easier for illegal drug users to shoot up; it's getting them addiction treatment and off of drugs entirely. You shouldn't need to spend $100,000 to realize that setting up injection sites for people to use illegal drugs in communities that are being ravaged by a heroin and opioid epidemic, which kills more Americans than car accidents, is completely nuts. Mayor de Blasio and the City Council need to abandon this ill-conceived proposal," said Martins.

Media reports noted that the New York City Council allocated $100,000 in taxpayer dollars to study the feasibility of setting up supervised injection facilities throughout the city. Nowhere in the United States are these facilities currently allowed.

As a New York State Senator, Martins has worked in a bipartisan manner to help combat the heroin and opioid epidemic that is harming every community throughout the state. He authored laws strengthening law enforcement's ability to combat opioid prescription fraud and expanding drug education programs in local schools. He also supported measures that enhanced insurance coverage for individuals seeking treatment and recovery services, expanded access to addiction treatment, and extended the length of time people can receive these life-savings services. At home, he has worked with local groups, often hand in hand with schools, to educate the community to the risks of opioid addiction and prevent and treat overdoses.

"This epidemic is killing people in frightening numbers in every single community, yet Mayor de Blasio and the City Council are advancing an initiative that enables and encourages addicts to continue using. Instead of wasting this money on a study, they should invest it in treatment programs where it will do far more good," Martins added.

"There's no "safe' way to shoot heroin and the willingness to consider supervised injection sites probably speaks to the frustration everyone is feeling in the midst of the heroin crisis, but it also sends a message of quiet resignation and acceptance of a patently dangerous behavior. I can think of 100 other ways to spend $100,000 and given how underfunded prevention, addiction treatment and recovery programs are, I'd much rather see those funds spent on evidence-based initiatives," said Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, a noted expert on addiction, treatment and recovery.

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