In semi-private booths, each with a chair and a mirror, Denver heroin users could shoot up with clean needles, no threat of arrest and under the supervision of staff trained to jump in with a life-saving antidote in case of overdose.

It would look more like a medical clinic than a party lounge, with floors and furniture that workers could hose down in the event of vomit or blood spills. Staffers would hand out sterile needles and possibly distilled water, but clients would bring their own drugs to cook and inject.

It’s called a supervised injection site, and Denver is on a path to become one of the first U.S. cities to open one — although doing so would require action by the City Council, the state legislature and possibly the federal government.

Seattle and San Francisco, ahead of Denver in planning, are attempting to open the first sites in this country, although there are more than 100 around the world.

Read full story at The Denver Post.

DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 03: Sharps disposal containers filled with thousands of used syringes at the Harm Reduction Action Center November 03, 2017. The Harm Reduction Action Center helps injection drug users with education, empowerment, but also includes a program for users to exchange used needles for new needles. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

Andy Cross