Oakland, CA City Council Meeting: RTI Opioid Expert to Speak About Supervised Consumption Services

RTI expert Barrot H. Lambdin, PhD, is scheduled to speak to the Rules & Legislation Committee of the Oakland, CA City Council on Thursday, May 9 regarding supervised consumption services (SCS). SCSs provide safe, hygienic settings for users of illicit drugs where trained staff are available to respond to overdoses and connect individuals with health and social services.

SCSs are currently unsanctioned in the U.S., even though there are more than 100 legal sites operating in 10 countries around the world. California seeks to change that with a state Assembly Bill—AB-362—that would give San Francisco the ability to operate the first legal SCS in a three-year pilot program. The meeting with the Oakland City Council will encourage councilmembers to adopt a resolution in support of AB-362 that would amend the bill to allow the city of Oakland to operate overdose prevention programs as well.

Lambdin recently presented findings from a study of an unsanctioned SCS in the U.S. during a press conference at the 26^th Harm Reduction International Conference in April. The study showed that these sites can improve safety for people who use drugs and prevent injections from occurring in public spaces.

During the Oakland City Council meeting, Lambdin will discuss the global body of research supporting these sites to encourage adoption of this resolution.

Watch the Oakland City Council Meeting. Coverage of the amendment begins at 35:48 and Lambdin's talk begins at 45:17. 

Learn more about RTI's work and research related to interventions for opioid use disorder.