Lawmakers and public witnesses told the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery on Oct. 12 that Massachusetts should pass S.1393 and H.2196 to establish legal protections for harm-reduction programs and expand access to overdose prevention services.

A representative who spoke at the hearing summarized a key provision: “possession of a controlled substance shall not constitute reasonable cause of a crime except in an OUI investigation,” and said the bills would "protect operators, staff, volunteers, property owners, and government officials involved in good faith Department of Public Health–approved harm reduction programs" from civil, criminal and professional discipline.

The testimony stressed public-health and racial-equity rationales for the bills. Dr. Alexander Collins, an assistant professor in community health at Tufts University, said Massachusetts recorded "over 1,700 deaths in 2024," adding that was "an average of over 4 and a half deaths daily in the state," and argued overdose prevention centers (OPCs) are evidence-based interventions that reduce deaths and increase treatment access.

Speakers with operational experience described how OPCs work in practice. Colleen Dalian Doi, executive director of Project Web Renew, the operator of Rhode Island’s state‑sanctioned overdose prevention center, said the site had "more than 4,000 visits to the OPC serving over 550 individuals with a 127 interventions including 71 specific opioid specific interventions." She described on-site responses that often use oxygen early in an overdose and reported broad neighborhood outreach and a unanimous city‑council approval process in Providence.

Advocates framed the bills as reducing barriers to care created by criminal-legal consequences. Kristin Dame, director of private social work services at the Committee for Public Counsel Services, said the bills address a "very real fear" that seeking harm-reduction services could lead to arrest or prosecution and that removing that fear "increases the probability" people will seek lifesaving care.

Testimony also highlighted populations with elevated risk. Vaina Hill of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth said Massachusetts youth who identify as LGBTQ are at higher risk of substance use and housing instability, noting state survey data that "LGBTQ high school students in Massachusetts are 4 times more likely than their cisgender and heterosexual peers to use substances." Elijah Patterson, a Boston resident and advocate, said, “every overdose death is a policy failure,” arguing that criminalization drives people to use alone and increases fatal overdoses.

Researchers cited evaluations from other jurisdictions. Collins cited international and Canadian evidence that OPCs increase treatment uptake and reduce neighborhood overdose mortality in some cities, and noted studies finding no increase in nearby crime. He summarized research showing OPC clients are more likely to enter treatment after sustained engagement; one cited study found 18 percent entered inpatient treatment after 15 months, and regular attendance raised the likelihood of initiating treatment by about 33 percent.

Union and front-line workers also testified in support. Daniel Moss, a substance-use counselor at the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center and member of SAU Local 509, said overdose prevention centers "save lives" and provide low‑threshold access that can connect people to recovery pathways.

Speakers urged the committee to consider specific design details and local approval mechanisms. The representative noted the Senate’s prior iteration included a local-approval requirement (city or town executive board), but that the version before the committee omitted that specification and asked the committee to "flesh out how that public participation and public approval process should be." Colleen Dalian Doi described Providence’s approach of both city‑council approval and extensive door‑to‑door neighborhood outreach as a model.

No formal votes were recorded in the hearing transcript provided; the session was a public hearing with testimony and questions. Committee deliberation, amendments and any vote were not included in the recorded testimony.

Ending: Witnesses from public health, research, service delivery and advocacy urged passage of S.1393 and H.2196 to provide statutory protections for harm‑reduction programs and enable overdose prevention centers, emphasizing the interventions’ role in reducing fatal overdoses, improving access to treatment and addressing racial and youth disparities. Several speakers recommended the committee specify local approval and reporting mechanisms as it advances the bills.