{"id":1299777,"date":"2023-05-27T10:10:46","date_gmt":"2023-05-27T14:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/la-nonprofit-giving-meth-pipes-to-homeless-sparks-debate-over-harm-reduction-approach\/1299777\/"},"modified":"2023-05-27T10:10:46","modified_gmt":"2023-05-27T14:10:46","slug":"la-nonprofit-giving-meth-pipes-to-homeless-sparks-debate-over-harm-reduction-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/la-nonprofit-giving-meth-pipes-to-homeless-sparks-debate-over-harm-reduction-approach\/1299777\/","title":{"rendered":"LA Nonprofit Giving Meth Pipes To Homeless Sparks Debate Over “Harm Reduction” Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LA Nonprofit Giving Meth Pipes To Homeless Sparks Debate Over “Harm Reduction” Approach<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Rudy Blalock via The Epoch Times,<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

After a video of a Los Angeles nonprofit handing out meth pipes to homeless addicts in downtown Los Angeles went viral earlier this month, some say the so-called \u201charm reduction model\u201d of providing drug equipment and a supervised place to use is saving lives, while others say it\u2019s harmful and only exacerbating the city\u2019s and the state\u2019s homelessness crisis.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

A nonprofit, Homeless Health Care Los Angeles, became the center of the controversy earlier this month, after a video went viral on social media showing workers passing out the pipes in downtown Los Angeles\u2019 Skid Row.<\/p>\n

Filmed by resident Tony Anthony, who lives in a nearby apartment, he told The Epoch Times he first heard about the issue in April and then began encountering it himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went out there to see for myself. It\u2019s wrong what they\u2019re doing, they\u2019re giving them the tool to go out and get the drug,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s helping them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anthony said he understands why some services offer needle exchanges to prevent the spread of deadly diseases, but meth pipes just encourage drug use.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be helping people get off drugs, not helping them to stay on drugs,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve seen what it does to people. When they smoke that methamphetamine, they go crazy, they take off their clothes, they run down the street, they break windows and break into cars and do all kinds of crazy things.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the LA County Department of Public Health, the so-called Harm Reduction model focuses on \u201cmeeting people where they are,\u201d by offering pipes and clean needles, supervised drug use, and overdose medication to help\u202fsave lives.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

A worker from Homeless Health Care Los Angeles was seen handing out meth pipes to a homeless person. (Screenshot via TikTok\/tony1963iceman)<\/em><\/p>\n

But Anthony said he and others that live in Skid Row fear some agencies helping the homeless are more interested in receiving government funds than solving the root of the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more homeless people that are out on the street, that don\u2019t want to get off the street, they\u2019re making money off them. It\u2019s called soliciting to the homeless,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>he said.<\/p>\n

He said \u201cthere\u2019s money in homelessness,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>and pointed to a Fox LA News news report, which showed the nonprofit in question receiving nearly $12 million in government funding in 2019.<\/p>\n

Tax records show the nonprofit received $5.7 million in such funding in 2016 which doubled to $11.9 million after three years. Of the nonprofit\u2019s reported $12.4 million total revenue in 2019, employee salaries and benefits made up $7.2 million.<\/p>\n

According to the agency\u2019s website, they operate four locations in Los Angeles. In Skid Row, they offer syringe exchange, Naloxone\u2014an opioid reversal medication\u2014wound care, acupuncture, food, clothing, and hygiene kits. Meth pipes are not mentioned specifically.<\/p>\n

Representatives from Homeless Health Care Los Angeles did not return a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Differing Opinions on Methodology<\/h2>\n

Other organizations serving Skid Row\u2019s homeless population said they support the harm reduction approach, since, they say, it\u2019s saving lives.<\/p>\n

J. Ellis McGinnis, the director of communications for the Los Angeles Mission, also located in Skid Row\u2014and which offers over 1,000 daily meals, hot showers, and temporary or long-term shelter\u2014said while it doesn\u2019t offer paraphernalia like other places and nonprofits, it supports the concept behind supervised drug use and offering pipes or needles since there\u2019s evidence such can save lives.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIn the system that we have\u2014which is to preserve lives\u2014everywhere that there are safe injection sites, ambulance visits are less by [around] 60 percent, HIV transactions are decreased, there\u2019s less of a demand on our ER and there\u2019s less people who are dying,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Data published in 2017 from The College of Family Physicians of Canada, which is a professional organization representing family physicians in Canada, shows that supervised injection sites decrease overdose-related deaths by 88 fewer per 100,000 people observed citing a Vancouver, British Columbia study.<\/p>\n

Overdose-related ambulance calls were reduced by 67 percent and HIV infections decreased but researchers debate over to what degree, according to the Vancouver study.<\/p>\n

McGinnis said when it comes to viral videos such as Anthony\u2019s, sometimes people will make judgments without seeing what goes on behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s the visuals and images of a caseworker handing out a meth pipe that goes viral, but you don\u2019t see\u202fhow sometimes the same caseworkers are able to provide support during the comedowns because they\u2019ve now built a relationship with the community saving lives,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sidewalk encampment in the Skid Row neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 16, 2023. (John Fredricks\/The Epoch Times)<\/em><\/p>\n

But some others say they fear the harm reduction approach isn\u2019t saving lives.<\/p>\n

Andy Bales, president and CEO of the Union Rescue Mission with a location also in Skid Row, said he believes there\u2019s no situation where free pipes or needles are beneficial to drug-addicted individuals.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re totally against the Harm Reduction model. We believe it\u2019s deadly and it\u2019s the [reason why] nearly one-half of the unsheltered people in the U.S. are in California,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>he told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Federal data released in December showed 30 percent of the United States\u2019 homeless population is in California.<\/p>\n

The Union Rescue Mission is a Christian-based non-profit also providing meals, showers, temporary and longer-term housing, and recovery programs to the homeless and drug addicts, with locations in downtown Los Angeles and Sylmar, California.<\/p>\n

He tied the increase in homelessness and drug use in California to welcoming state laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur policies in California have doubled down only on Housing First,\u201d which advocates for unrestricted housing, he said, as well as \u201cHarm Reduction and the free flow of hard drugs.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Bales said he specifically blames a 2016 California Law, SB 1380, which cut off state funds to facilities like his that have sobriety or treatment requirements for housing the homeless.<\/p>\n

As for the agency passing out meth pipes, he said doing such could lead to deadly results.<\/p>\n

\u201cHomeless Health Care handing out meth pipes is irresponsible because, on Skid Row, there\u2019s a combination of meth, fentanyl, and horse tranquilizer,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>he said.<\/p>\n

Although Narcan can prevent fentanyl overdoses, the recent addition of horse tranquilizer on Skid Row streets can\u2019t be combatted, according to Bales.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody knows what\u2019s going to be put in the meth pipe. \u2026 In the case of Skid Row sometimes it\u2019s meth mixed with fentanyl now mixed with horse tranquilizer, and Narcan doesn\u2019t work on horse tranquilizer,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

People use drugs in the Skid Row neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 16, 2023. (John Fredricks\/The Epoch Times)<\/em><\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Department of Public Health issued a health alert in March warning residents to watch out for horse tranquilizer\u2014known as xylazine\u2014in illicit drugs, after increases in drug samples were found in San Francisco and San Diego.<\/p>\n

Bales said the risks associated with a harm-reduction approach outweigh the benefits.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe believe not in reversing overdoses as a practice but in moving people to recovery \u2026 Harm reduction without the intent to end addiction is unlikely to deliver any permanent reduction at all,\u201d he said.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He argued that safe consumption sites may successfully help reverse overdoses for drug users, but the lasting impact is harming users\u2019 brains.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cEvery time you overdose, you lose two to three percent of your brain power or mental capacity,\u201d according to Bales.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

According to the National Library of Medicine\u2014the world\u2019s largest medical library located in Maryland\u2014drug overdoses can cause cerebral hypoxia which results from cutting off the brain\u2019s supply of oxygen and nutrients. A lack of such can lead to brain cells dying in less than five minutes, rapidly causing severe brain damage.<\/p>\n

Last year, there were approximately 300 overdoses at a safe consumption site in San Francisco\u2014known as the Tenderloin Linkage Center\u2014according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health.<\/p>\n

Since the center\u2019s closure Dec. 4, 2022, overdose-related deaths between January and April of this year, compared to the same time in 2022, have increased by 42 percent,\u202f according to data released by San Francisco\u2019s Chief Medical Examiner.<\/p>\n

One representative who worked at the Tenderloin Center claims the rise is a result of the consumption site\u2019s closure, according to an article by the San Francisco Public Press.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen [it] was open, and we had a safe place for folks to go, the numbers went down,\u201d Gary McCoy, vice president of policy and public affairs for HealthRight360\u2014a nonprofit that provides health services, told the news outlet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nSat, 05\/27\/2023 – 13:30<\/span><\/p>\n

From:Zerohedge<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LA Nonprofit Giving Meth Pipes To Homeless Sparks Debate Over “Harm Reduction” Approach Authored by Rudy Blalock via The Epoch Times, After a video of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1299777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1299777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299777\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1299777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1299777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1299777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}