A federal judge in Philadelphia turned down a nonprofit's effort to open a safe drug-injection site in the city.
Safehouse, the organization aiming to offer overdose prevention services, stated that the risk of being prosecuted by the Department of Justice for potentially breaking drug laws is obstructing their religious rights as a group.
The organization indicated that its mission is influenced by traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs and the aim to preserve life, care for the sick, and assist neighbors, according to U.S. District Judge Gerald McHugh. said in his ruling.
But McHugh argued that Safehouse has not explicitly shown that it is a religious organization. The judge mentioned that the organization has noble goals to address the health crisis caused by opioid use in the city, but their religious inspiration does not exempt them from prosecution for violating federal drug laws.
Safehouse, McHugh said, is an entity without affiliation to any specific faith or religious organization.
The group, he wrote, claims that it should be protected for its non-religious actions, solely based on the religious motivations of its founders, but that is not sufficient to receive protections under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The Hill has reached out to Safehouse for comment. Its lawyer, Llana Eisenstein of DLA Piper, said in a statement to Reuters that it was disappointed and reviewing its options.
“We respectfully disagree with the judge and believe federal law allows Safehouse to practice its religious beliefs by saving the lives of people in need,” the organization said.
According to Safehouse’s website, safe injection sites are a method of harm reduction in substance use treatment, where by controlling the environments and certain elements of drug use, there will be “safer use, managed use, and medication-supported treatment plans.”
Safehouse stated that prevention services save lives by decreasing the number of fatal overdoses, limiting the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, curtailing drug use in other public spaces, and linking people with other services.
