American cities look to Vancouver for overdose crisis response model
VANCOUVER — As an overdose crisis began taking shape in Denver, Colo., one of the places the city’s leaders looked for answers was north of the border.
Coun. Albus Brooks says he hopped on a plane to Vancouver last year before putting together a recent proposal to open what could become the first legal supervised consumption site in the United States.
“I went out there personally to meet with council members, the chief of police, community members, business folks — I interviewed them all,” he said.
Last month, Denver council approved a proposal for a two-year pilot project allowing a safe consumption site, which lets people use drugs under the supervision of staff who are trained in overdose response.