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Connecticut hearing draws wide support for pilot overdose‑prevention centers
Summary
Hundreds of residents, clinicians and people with lived experience urged the Public Health Committee to pass SB 195, saying supervised overdose‑prevention centers would save lives, reduce public drug use and connect people to treatment; state health officials said legal and regulatory questions remain.
Senate Bill 195, which would authorize a limited pilot of state‑regulated overdose‑prevention centers, drew sustained public testimony from clinicians, harm‑reduction providers, family members and people in recovery at a long Public Health Committee hearing. Supporters told stories of loved ones who died after using alone and cited evidence from Rhode Island and New York showing that supervised consumption programs reduce fatal overdoses and increase links to care.
‘‘People cannot begin recovery if they are dead,’’ said a parent and longtime advocate who lost a child to an overdose. Service providers described…
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