CT Legislators, Advocates Back Overdose Prevention Centers

by Jamil Ragland

HARTFORD, CT — Lawmakers and advocates are calling on Gov. Ned Lamont to support a proven, though controversial, pilot program to give people with substance use problems a safe place to use.

State Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor and Senate chair of the Public Health Committee, led the call in a press conference held in the Hall of Flags at the State Capitol in Hartford. He was joined by health care experts and the loved ones of residents who lost their lives to drug overdoses to build support for SB 195, which would authorize a pilot program to establish overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in four municipalities without the use of state funds.

OPCs are facilities where substance users can consume illicit drugs in a controlled setting, under the watch of trained staff and medical professionals to prevent overdoses. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, OPCs are associated with several benefits, including eliminating overdose deaths at OPCs and reducing demand on local healthcare and emergency response services. Rhode Island and New York house the only three OPCs in the United States.

State Sen. Saud Anwar speaks about opioid prevention centers on April 14, 2026 at the State Capitol in Hartford, CT.

Anwar said according to the Department of Public Health, nearly 8,700 people in Connecticut have died from drug overdoses since 2019, a figure larger than the population of half of the state’s towns.

“We have work to do, and that’s why we have some of the finest minds on this issue, not only in our state, not only in the country, but the world,” he said.

Rahul Gupta, former director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Biden administration, said opioid deaths are preventable, and OPCs are part of a strategy of experimentation to save lives.

“The amount of work that is happening in this state is second to none,” he said. “I do think we have an opportunity to continue to push the envelope and do even more because, once again, lives depend on that. I think this action and this work right now is an opportunity to be able to answer the call of people who are suffering.”

Cameron Breen, a street outreach case manager for Liberation Programs, said supporting OPCs would provide dignity and compassion for people in need.

“We need sustainable funding, not temporary fixes, not pilot programs that disappear when spotlights fade, but long-term commitments and approaches to saving lives, building trust, and strengthening communities,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, this is about people, and people are dying without access to reliable support systems. People are worth investing in, and overdose prevention centers and harm reduction are worth investing in.”

Diane Santos lost her son, Mark Andrew Collins, to an overdose in 2023. He had reached out to his parents for help in overcoming his addiction. Santos took her son to Backus Hospital, where she was working. She said her family encountered “brick wall after brick wall” while seeking help.

Mark ultimately overdosed in his room at home while his mother slept, she said. 

“Overdose prevention centers, safe consumption sites, bridge a gap. They allow people to use under supervision,” she said. “They allow people to be treated again as human beings without stigma.”

Santos said she had witnessed a lack of empathy and stigma amongst those who oppose safe consumption in the state legislature. Those same legislators then became irate when told they lacked empathy, she said.

“As a mother who buried her child, I wish I could see that level of a reaction from them over the death of my son, which was preventable, as all overdose deaths are,” she said.

However, the legal status of OPCs has led to skepticism from some corners. During a public hearing held in February, Rep. Klarides-Ditria, R-Seymour and ranking member of the committee, acknowledged the potential benefits of OPCs, but still expressed concerns.

“I think a lot of us struggle with the fact that a lot of this still is illegal on the federal level,” she said. “We’ve seen from other OPCs that it does decrease deaths, which is wonderful because we don’t want anyone to die under any circumstances. It does decrease emergency department visits.”

In written testimony, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins echoed concerns about conflicts with federal law.

“Our agency is unsure how the current federal administration will react and [there are] potential penalties, which may include criminal penalties of up to twenty years in prison or a fine of up to $500,000, or both,” he said. “Our agency does not want to put our troopers in a situation where their role is uncertain. However, we look forward to working through these challenges with the proponents of the bill and the judicial branch.”

SB 195 passed the Public Health committee on a party line vote in early March, but it faces resistance in the legislature and hesitancy from Lamont. Anwar acknowledged that the bill, which has been introduced multiple times, may not make it into law this session, but said through continued conversations with the governor, there has been movement.

“If it gets us closer to the OPCs for another future session, we can live with that,” he said. “But that means some 750 people will die. And we wish we could get the governor to save those 750 people, but he’s not there at this point. So we’ll keep working at it.”