BRIDGES Coalition Statement on Maryland’s 2021 General Assembly Session

The decriminalization of the possession of paraphernalia will protect public health and reduce the harms of incarceration.

CONTACT: Harriet Smith, Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition, harriet@baltimoreharmreduction.org and 443-418-6614

Baltimore, MD – The Maryland General Assembly passed SB 420 this week, decriminalizing the possession of controlled paraphernalia and making progress toward a Maryland where safety and public health are prioritized.

The BRIDGES Coalition, comprised of over 30 organizations advocating for harm reduction-centered policies and overdose prevention sites in Maryland, released the following statement.

“We are thrilled that the General Assembly, with the leadership of bill sponsors Delegate David Moon and Senator Jill Carter, passed legislation that will decriminalize the possession of paraphernalia in Maryland, protecting the health of our community members who use drugs.

We are particularly grateful for the efforts of House Judiciary Committee Chair Luke Clippinger, who took action to remove amendments that would have hampered the goals of decriminalization by continuing to grant law enforcement discretion in determining if an individual planned to use their supplies for delivery, distribution, or sale.

By removing these amendments, our leaders ensured that paraphernalia will be fully decriminalized, and people who use drugs do not need to attempt to prove that their supplies are for personal use. No one should ever face the trauma of arrest or incarceration for merely having supplies that could save their life.

While the decriminalization of paraphernalia possession is a significant step forward for Maryland, we are disappointed that the General Assembly failed to move forward legislation to authorize overdose prevention sites.

Despite significant community support, the General Assembly declined for the sixth year to authorize overdose prevention sites, lifesaving, private facilities that provide people who use drugs a safe place for consumption and essential interventions.

In the time that lawmakers have refused to seriously consider overdose prevention sites, thousands of lives could have been saved – and the overdose epidemic has only gotten worse as Americans have suffered from isolation and hardship during COVID-19. The Maryland Department of Health released data this week showing that in 2020, overdoses increased 16.6% from the year prior. 2,773 people died from overdose in Maryland in 2020, the highest toll ever recorded. After decades of over-policing drug use while overdoses continue to spike, leaders need to take a new approach.

During the bill hearings for HB 396/SB 279, legislators heard from Marylanders in their districts who have lost their dearest loved ones to overdose and who know that overdose prevention sites would have saved their lives. We are grateful to the lawmakers who advocated for overdose prevention sites to their colleagues, particularly bill sponsors Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Anne Arundel County), and Senators Shelly Hettleman (D-Baltimore County) and Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery County), and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott who testified in support of the legislation.

At overdose prevention sites, visitors can access key interventions like naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and most importantly, a sense of community and belonging that they may not find anywhere else. The sites are an innovative tool to combat the overdose crisis that has taken countless lives and destroyed communities.

We will continue to advocate for legislation authorizing overdose prevention sites in Maryland and other essential harm reduction measures. It is reprehensible that any more people should die from preventable overdose when safe, community-oriented solutions exist.”