New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is backing a plan to open four supervised injection sites for illegal drug users as part of a pioneering yet controversial effort to combat fatal overdoses.
The mayor's endorsement comes as the city's Health Department on Thursday released a study on the program, saying it could prevent 130 overdose deaths each year.
If the plan is approved, sites under a one-year pilot program would open at current needle exchanges in Brooklyn's Gowanus neighborhood, Manhattan's Midtown West and Washington Heights, and Longwood in The Bronx.
The Democratic mayor said the opioid epidemic has killed more people in the city than car crashes and homicides. He said the overdose prevention centers will save lives.
Last year, 1,441 people died of drug overdoses in New York City.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.