For months, the city of San Francisco has been pushing to open so-called supervised injection sites as the controversial Tenderloin Linkage Center closed.
However, operators of the proposed new sites said the city's department of public health confirmed those new sites are no longer viable.
During a question-and-answer session Tuesday, Mayor London Breed said she also supports supervised injection sites, but mentioned there are legal issues that are preventing the city from moving forward.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently vetoed a state bill that would have allowed the sites, and the Biden administration hasn't issued any guidelines on how to safely open them.
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Mayor Breed talked about members of the board who, she said, haven't endorsed her plan for treatment and enforcement.
"Let's work with the federal government to open up these prevention sites, and let's also target the drug dealers who are harming our neighborhoods like the Tenderloin everyday," she said.
The question-and-answer session with the board came after several supervisors gathered on the steps of San Francisco City Hall to demand the city to move ahead with plans to open several supervised injection sites.
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"The Biden administration has not engaged in prosecuting anyone," said Hilary Ronen, District 9 supervisor. "When life and death are at stake, I think we have to take risks sometimes, and now is the time to take that risk."
Matt Dorsey, District 6 supervisor said he's "a strong believer in abstinence based recovery programs, but they only work for people who are alive."
The City Department of Public Health had planned to open several smaller sites after closing the emergency Tenderloin Linkage Center, which many critics claimed was an unofficial supervised injection site.
However, operators of those proposed new sites said the city abruptly pulled the plug about a week and a half ago.
Non-profit organizations had been hoping to partner with the city.
"I could put up a tent tomorrow and do this, and maybe I will," said Lydia Bransten, Executive Director of Gubbia Project. "But this is a bigger plan, and this is a plan that has been years in the making, and it's time."
Opponents of these sites said the city should be focused on treatment instead of setting up more places for people to continue using drugs.
"We need to focus on treatments," said Ellen Grantz with Mothers Against Drug Addiction and Deaths. "We cannot afford to spend more resources on harm reduction which has mixed results."
