Amid a heated campaign season leading to the June 16 D.C. primary, District residents and faith leaders alike are speaking out about safe injection sites, a proposal they believe will cause more harm than good for Washingtonians.
On the morning of June 3, the Rev. George C. Gilbert Jr. of Holy Trinity United Baptist Church organized a press conference in Ward 7 with other clergy members and residents to denounce safe injection sites, or what he and some other concerned citizens call “drug houses.”
“Our faith tells us that people are not disposable,” Gilbert said in a statement sent to The Informer. “People are not just statistics. People are not problems to be managed. Our work is not only to reduce death. Our work is to transform people — by helping them recover, heal, and rebuild their lives.”
For community member LaTeasha Lofties, safe injection sites send a bad signal.
“Cultivating a space where people can go to use drugs is not a good idea. What does it say to our children? We want our people cured of their addiction, not to help them with the addiction,” said Lofties.
Safe injection sites, also referred to as harm reduction centers, are sterilized environments where people can use illegal or prescription drugs under the supervision of trained staff, who can administer naloxone in case of an overdose or clean syringes to prevent the spread of HIV or hepatitis C.
Sites have been opened in places like Canada, Australia, Europe, New York City and Rhode Island. The centers have been shown to reduce the number of fatalities while providing integrated services for mental health, housing, health care, and rehab programs.
District Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), a front-runner in the mayoral election, is a strong proponent of safe injection sites. According to her responses to the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Candidate Questionnaire, she believes safe injection sites and harm reduction centers are needed, seeing how opioid overdoses are one of the most urgent public health crises in D.C.
“We need to confront this crisis head-on with effective interventions aimed at increasing awareness, treatment, recovery, stable housing, and wraparound support for those struggling with substance abuse. We need safe injection sites and harm reduction centers,” Lewis George wrote.
In 2025, D.C. had 232 fatal overdoses and 6,117 non-fatal overdoses. Records show last year’s numbers were the highest since 2023, with 516 fatal overdoses and 5,108 non-fatal overdoses.
Further, 84% of opioid related deaths took place outside of medical facilities in Wards 5, 7, and 8, commonly as a result of fentanyl or cocaine. The demographic of users is Black males between the ages of 40 and 49, and 60-69 years old.
Community organizers like Ron Moten, co-founder of Don’t Mute DC, explained how past initiatives like methadone clinics didn’t help addicts to recover or keep communities safe.
“The meth clinics over the past 25 years have not made our neighborhoods better but instead have made our neighborhoods worse — they bring crime, unacceptable behavior and immorality,” Moten, founder of the Go-Go Museum & Cafe, said. “I have had family members addicted to drugs, and it wasn’t helping them to get high that got them off drugs; it was support that helped.”
The Idea Behind Safe Injection Sites in D.C., Gilbert Seeks Another Solution
DC Health compiles a list of addiction treatment locations in the area that either provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT), substance use disorder treatment (SUD), or syringe service programs (SSP). However, city officials have attempted to go beyond these programs to introduce safe injection sites.
In 2019, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released “LIVE.LONG.DC,” the District’s strategic plan to reduce opioid use and related challenges. The plan provided a layout for the city to collaborate with hospital leaders, community providers, and department agencies, while estimating the funds needed to invest in treatment and recovery options.
Strategy 4.3 considered safe injection sites in a model plan that estimated the funding cost of $100,000. Strategy 4.4 would continue the needle exchange program with other harm reduction services, such as naloxone distribution, for $955,000.
These strategies were never fully carried out, and when a new version of the plan was released in 2024, there was a noticeable absence of safe injection sites. Yet, Lewis George’s backing of these centers remained consistent.
In 2022, Lewis George sent a letter to Bowser detailing her 2024 budget priorities for Ward 4. She requested $15 million to open two 24/7 harm reduction centers and expand a mobile outreach program with ward-based teams.
The Ward 4 councilmember’s positive outlook on these centers was based on her travels to OnPoint in New York City with fellow DSA elected official NYC Councilperson Tiffany Cabán, where she witnessed accessible resources and medical care provided to those who frequent the facilities.
For safe injection sites in the nation’s capital, the District would require federal approval, which will be difficult considering President Donald Trump’s cuts to prevention programs and his Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets executive order. It enforces that individuals should receive outpatient treatment, but advises against funding harm reduction programs.
With District funding for safe injection sites requiring federal approval, and residents’ growing concern with these centers in their community, it will be a tough sell for Lewis George to get the proposed locations, particularly with election day less than a week away.
Local community leaders like Gilbert are asking that wraparound services and accessible treatment be the solution to addiction.
“We ask you — every member of this city — to remember this: people deserve a future,” he said. “People deserve more than temporary harm reduction. People deserve the chance to become whole.”
