Mayor floats government-run heroin injection sites

Heroin problems are rearing in communities around the nation.

The mayor for Ithaca, New York, said his city ought to provide supervised injection spots for local heroin addicts in order to help them obtain their daily fixes under the watchful eyes of medical professionals, who could also provide recovery assistance to address their drug problems.

The idea, from Mayor Svante Myrick, is aimed at countering the region's rising heroin addiction problem, CBS News reported.

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"This part of the plan is about keeping people alive, helping them get treatment, helping them get better, but in the meantime making sure that they live long enough to get that treatment," Svante said to 1010 WINS. "Once you die from an overdose, there's no opportunity to get better, no opportunity to get treatment."

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The facility would include staffed nurses or doctors with knowledge to deal with overdoses, and who would provide clean injection needles, CBS News reported.

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The mayor needs permission from the state before opening such a facility.

Europe, Australia and Canada offer government-sanctioned injection sites for addicts.