New York’s Conflict Over Needles Is a Fight About What a City Is For
Economic elites and their press organs are up in arms over the decriminalization of syringe possession in New York. Beneath their reactionary bluster about “junkies” lies a stronger belief: that the purpose of a city is to provide investment opportunities for capital.
Representatives from New York’s most profitable industries believe the city should be merely an investment opportunity for capital — and that’s why they object to the decriminalization of syringe possession. (lyd_f / Flickr)
“New York City’s war on drugs is over. The junkies won.”
It’s a properly reactionary sentence from the reliably reactionary New York Post, followed by over a thousand words of fearmongering about New York State’s recent decision to decriminalize the possession of syringes. The article prophesies a bleak future for New York City, with addicts free to shoot up openly in the streets and run wild endangering law-abiding citizens.
Of course, the science of addiction and recovery paints a different picture. Decriminalization and syringe services programs (SSPs) not only drastically reduce the transmission of blood-borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis but also have been shown to lower rates of overdose and addiction by directing people to drug counseling and other social services. New York’s decision is in line with this body of research and represents a step toward reducing, rather than increasing, the prevalence of addiction and substance abuse.
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