Letters to the Editor: Drug users aren’t the only ones saved by safe-injection sites

To the editor: It is well past time for polite society to admit that safe injection sites, where people can use certain drugs in a clean and supervised environment, are not permissive. Rather, they are life saving. (“‘This is not the end’: L.A. advocates say veto doesn’t shut door to safe injection sites,” Sept. 16)

It is also time to weigh the realities of what it takes to bring back an overdosed person, including the strain on emergency responders. The numbers have been crunched in parts of Canada, and they are shocking. There is also the emotional toll that repeated overdose calls take on emergency responders that needs to be addressed.

Emergency responders are quitting in record numbers due to burnout, and it is affecting anyone who calls 911. Response times have gone up, and this problem is not going away. What will it take for politicians to act responsibly?

Mandy E. Knutson, Costa Mesa

..

To the editor: If the purpose of having safe drug injection facilities is to identify potential drug overdose victims and get them into addiction treatment programs, I’m all for that.

Otherwise, it would be just like serving beer at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

Richard Holmen, Trabuco Canyon