Philly pols want to set up taxpayer-funded shooting galleries so junkies can shoot up safely

Philadelphia politicians want to set up taxpayer-funded drug shooting galleries.

They claim this is actually a good way to combat the opioid epidemic.

Yes, they actually said that.

Now, you have to realize that most politicians aren't good at thinking things through.  (Obamacare, for example.)  And they consistently do dumb things if they think it'll get 'em more votes.

Unless you're an idiot liberal you may well wonder how setting up "safe" shooting galleries--paid for by scarce taxpayer bucks--will reduce opioid use.  Surely that is what they mean by "combatting the epidemic," right?

And there's no doubt that lots of Philly residents are dying from overdosing on injected opioids: In 2017 over 1,200 people fatally overdosed in Philadelphia — one-third more than in 2016.

So setting up shooting galleries could reduce overdose deaths very slightly, cuz medical personnel would be standing by to administer an overdose antidote if necessary.

The city's public health commissioner inadvertently exposed the inherent insanity, saying “No one here condones or supports illegal drug use in any way.  We want people saddled with drug addiction to get help.”

Oh, absolutely.  Having the city set up shooting galleries isn't "condoning" injecting illegal drugs in any way, no sir!

City officials concluded that setting up just one shooting gallery in Philly would save 25 to 75 lives a year, and at the same reduce public injection of drugs.

Really?  It'd actually reduce drug use by the public?

Uh, no.  What the rat-bastards said was that it would reduce public drug use, meaning people would be shooting up inside, not on the streets.  Ah.

This is insane.  But wait...government safe injection sites are operating in Canada and Europe.  And every good liberal knows that if Europe does something, it must be the right thing to do.  In fact, to not do whatever Europe does shows you hate poor people!  And people of color!  So if you oppose this you're raaaacist!  Even though most of those who die from overdose are white.

Philadelphia officials visited government-run shooting galleries in Vancouver and claim that they make neighborhoods safer by reducing the number of used syringes littering parks.  Ah.  In that case, totally worth it.


The local paper reports that critics have argued the sites may undermine prevention and treatment and cause safety concerns.  "May."  Like, no one can really know, eh?  But what the pols DO claim to know is that setting up shooting galleries will definitely, y'know, "combat the opioid epidemic."  Trust 'em.

One possible snag in this brilliant plan is how the federal government would respond if the city were to set a "safe-injection site."  The Obama regime was all for it, but with da eeeebil orange guy as preezy...well, who knows?  But it's a great idea.  Really.