SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Mayor London Breed announced that she will pursue legislation to buy a building for a potential safe consumption site.

It would also be a building to be used for behavioral health.

Senator Scott Wiener has been working on legislation to legalize safe sites for consumption in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Oakland.

Wiener released the following statement after Mayor Breed’s announcement:

“I applaud Mayor Breed’s decision to move forward with the purchase of a site to use for any number of the behavioral health needs we have in San Francisco, including a potential safe consumption site. If the Mayor does open a safe consumption site before the state authorizes it, she will have my full support. Additionally, I will continue to seek state authorization for safe consumption sites through SB 57. I’m optimistic that SB 57 will be heard in the Assembly Health Committee in early 2022.

“The bottom line is that we need to open safe consumption sites as fast as we can. It’s about saving lives. In 2020, more San Franciscans died of overdoses than they did of COVID-19. Our overdose crisis is destroying lives, families, and the very fabric of our city. It’s unacceptable that people are left to die on our streets because of an outdated, racist War on Drugs mentality. The War on Drugs has failed, and we need a new approach.

“Right now, a huge amount of drug use in San Francisco occurs on our streets. Safe consumption sites bring people in off of the streets and are a harm reduction measure so people can use more safely. They save countless lives; data from the sites operating across the world tells us this. Trained staff members administer supplies like clean needles and Narcan, which reverses overdoses. Drug testing kits are available, too. Once people are ready, they can also use these sites to get connected to treatment and other important resources. 

“Our overdose crisis is a pandemic in and of itself, and we need urgent and bold leadership to address it. I thank the Mayor for her forward-thinking approach to this crisis, and will fight alongside her to ensure we have a safe consumption site operating in San Francisco as soon as possible.”

Check back for more details as KRON4 learns more.