If the first public hearing is any indication, Boston supporters of rooms where drug users would inject under medical supervision have a long road ahead of them.

Passions ran high before the hearing on bringing supervised injection facilities, or SIFs, to Boston even began Monday.

A Boston City Council hearing took up the debate around installing a supervised injection facility in Boston. Advocates argued SIFs help prevent drug overdose deaths. (Martha Bebinger/WBUR)

A redhead named Whitney, standing outside the Boston City Council chambers, described a crushing spinal injury that introduced her to morphine 30 years ago. Now, with fentanyl in most bags sold on the street, Whitney says she’s overdosed 11 times since January. If Boston had a supervised injection facility, Whitney says she’d use it.

"It’s horrible, I don’t want to die, but I’m in pain," said Whitney, her voice shaking. "So I have to go into a port-a-potty and shoot up 'cause I have nowhere safe to go, and I overdose? It’s so sad, it’s not right."

Inside the chamber, a panel of supporters urged council members to back opening a SIF in Boston.

"SIFs save lives," said Dr. Gabriel Wishik, an addiction specialist at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. "We desperately need this option in Boston."

Wishik ticked off a list of reasons:

Boston City Councilor Frank Baker, one of two councilors who called the hearing, listened to four other doctors and public health specialists outline the benefits of SIFs.

"I’m still not convinced by your testimony, like not even close, that it will be helpful," Baker said, mentioning the low rates of referral to treatment in 2015. If the city did allow SIFs, Baker said, there should be a limit on the number of days — perhaps between three and seven — for each drug user. After that, they'd have to go into detox.

"I think it might be the wrong path to make it easier for users," he said. "It’s almost like, it should be more difficult to use."

Doctors on the panel said the cap might not make sense because addiction is a chronic disease.

Aubri Esters, an active drug user, broke into the debate. Esters says she spends hours every day in the section of Baker’s district known as "Methadone Mile."

"It’s already an injection facility," Esters said. "People are already injecting publicly all over the place. We all know that. It’s just not supervised. There’s no one making sure folks aren’t dying."

Councilor Michael Flaherty said he's disturbed by the idea of doctors or nurses supervising illegal drug use.

"So we’re going to watch them inject, snort or whatever?" Flaherty asked. "And then we’re going to sit by and wait to see whether we have to jump in and render assistance? I think that is absolutely asinine."