State Senate Passes Bill to Ban Heroin Injection Sites

OLYMPIA (AP) — The Senate has passed a measure that ultimately bans safe-injection sites for heroin users in Washington state.

Senate Bill 5223 passed in the Republican-led Senate Thursday on a 26-23 vote and now heads to the Democratic-controlled House, where it is not expected to advance.

The measure would remove local authority to establish heroin injection sites.

State Sen. Mark Miloscia, a Republican from Federal Way, sponsored the bill after a task force last year recommended two sites to address King County's opioid crisis.