Gov. Newsom vetoes bill allowing safe injection sites in California, including Los Angeles

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday vetoed a bill that would have authorized some safe injection sites across California, bringing with it “a world of unintended consequences” by allowing Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco to set up sites where opioid users could legally inject drugs under supervision.

“The unlimited number of safe injection sites that this bill would authorize — facilities which could exist well into the later part of this decade — could induce a world of unintended consequences,” Newsom said in vetoing the bill. Newsom, however, did not agree.

“It is possible that these sites would help improve the safety and health of our urban areas, but if done without a strong plan, they could work against this purpose,” Newsom wrote in his decision. “These unintended consequences in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland cannot be taken lightly. Worsening drug consumption challenges in these areas is not a risk we can take.”

The controversial bill passed the Senate by a slim margin last week.