Witnesses urge Massachusetts to adopt harm-reduction protections, including overdose prevention centers

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…