David Dinkins, at first, opposed syringe exchange sites, fearing they would encourage drug use, but eventually changed his mind. Needle exchange programs are now given credit for helping to reduce HIV transmission. | AP Photo Dinkins, a de Blasio mentor, calls for opening supervised injection facilities

Former Mayor David Dinkins, a mentor to Mayor Bill de Blasio, has come out in favor of supervised injection facilities, saying the policy, which City Hall has yet to embrace, would save lives.

Dinkins, in a statement made to POLITICO on Friday, said the continuing opioid epidemic made these sites, also called supervised consumption sites, a necessity.


“I have added my voice to the masses of worried citizens over this public health crisis and I urge others to support the proposed pilot of supervised consumption sites as a reduction strategy against drug-induced death,” Dinkins said. “Lives in New York City would be saved by supporting these facilities.“

De Blasio has promised to release a long-awaited study on the feasibility of supervised injection sites by the end of April.

The administration declined to comment on Dinkins’ support, and the mayor has given no indication as to whether he personally supports these spaces, which allow drug use under some form of medical supervision. The idea is that the facilities help prevent overdoses and connect drug users to care.

De Blasio, who worked in the Dinkins administration, will say only that the issue is “complex,” even as he faces growing pressure from advocacy groups, which have held several protests on the steps of City Hall questioning whether the mayor is putting personal politics ahead of the public good.

Health Commissioner Mary Bassett acknowledged during a City Council hearing that these sites provide a public health benefit, but the mayor and his staff appear torn on how to proceed.

“However we handle this, it is a very complex matter legally and in terms of law enforcement. There is certainly important information from the health care community that needs to be part of this discussion, but we will announce a formal position and take it from there. But I just want everyone to understand — if ever there has been a complex issue, this is one,” de Blasio said Friday during his weekly radio appearance on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show.” “Whatever happens here, this is very complex, and [we need to] pay attention to the many layers of this as we try to make sense of it.”

De Blasio staff have been concerned with community safety, according to Charles King, CEO of Housing Works, who stormed out of a meeting with the administration earlier this month. It was the same argument King says he heard a quarter-century ago during the debate over needle exchanges at the height of the AIDS epidemic.

Dinkins, at first, opposed syringe exchange sites, fearing they would encourage drug use, but eventually changed his mind. Needle exchange programs are now given credit for helping to reduce HIV transmission.

“With successes over that previous battle due to our controversial solution in mind, I reiterate my support for and request a similar pioneering commitment from our state and city leadership to [supervised consumption sites] as the next innovative solution,“ Dinkins said. “There is a wealth of evidence from over 100 such programs already operating worldwide.”

Earlier this month, NYPD officers visited supervised injection sites in Toronto and explored how they are run.

The study, which de Blasio said in January would be released “soon,” was funded by the City Council in September 2016, with $100,000.

“The next step is to establish [supervised consumption site] pilots in the communities that have been more heavily impacted by the opioid epidemic, most of which are found in Black and Latino populated communities,” Dinkins said. “I strongly support establishment of these programs in New York City.”

Gloria Pazmino contributed to this report.