Harm reduction centers — also called supervised consumption facilities (SCFs), overdose prevention centers (OPCs) or supervised injection facilities (SIFs) — are meant to prevent fatal overdoses and connect people who use drugs to health services. These centers do not supply drugs; instead, they aim to prevent fatal overdoses, reduce infectious disease transmission and create a point of contact for health care and treatment. Peer-reviewed research shows that these facilities consistently prevent deaths inside the centers, reduce public injecting and syringe litter and help people access addiction treatment, without increasing crime in surrounding neighborhoods.
For journalists, responsible reporting means avoiding stigmatizing language (“addicts,” “users,” “shooting galleries”), being clear that these sites are evidence-based health interventions — not places that “encourage drug use” — and differentiating between individual-level outcomes (which are strongly supported by research) and population-level overdose trends (which depend on many factors beyond any single intervention). When covering policy debates or community concerns, journalists should cite reputable studies, seek out voices from harm reduction workers and public-health experts, and contextualize these centers within the broader continuum of addiction care.