Rhode Island

The US’s First State-Sanctioned Safe Drug Consumption Site Prepares To Open In Rhode Island

Published

1 year ago

December 11, 2024

The US’s First State-Sanctioned Safe Drug Consumption Site Prepares To Open In Rhode Island

On Tuesday afternoon, organizers cut the ribbon on the first state-sanctioned safe consumption site for illegal drugs in the United States. The facility—located in Providence, Rhode Island—stems from a 2021 bill creating a pilot program for overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in the state.

Operated by the nonprofit Project Weber/RENEW in partnership with addiction care provider VICTA, the new facility is expected to begin offering supervised drug consumption services as soon as it receives final licensing approval.

Once that happens, researchers at Brown University will be following the developments.

“The goal is to identify how OPCs operate in the United States,” Brown epidemiology professor Brandon D.L. Marshall said in a university post about the project. “If they are working, what makes them particularly helpful for people? In what ways do they connect people to addiction treatment and care? How can they best be integrated into a community that’s been hard hit by the nation’s overdose crisis? Those are some of the things we’d like to tease out.”

While controversial, overdose prevention centers have been lauded by academics and harm reduction advocates as a promising way to reduce drug-related deaths and connect people with social services, including treatment for drug use disorders.

The advocacy group Doctors for Drug Policy Reform (D4DPR), for example, recently published a paper arguing that OPCs “represent a wise, cost-effective, and necessary use” of funds received through settlements of lawsuits against opioid companies.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley (D) attended Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting at the OPC in his city to show his support.

“People with substance abuse disorder are going to use,” he said. “What’s different here is that they will use in a supervised fashion with medical professionals on staff so that they do not die, and then there will be services wrapped around.”

Marshall, the Brown researcher, said in an interview with the Public’s Radio that he led a 2011 study that “demonstrated a 35 percent reduction in overdose mortality after the Overdose Prevention Center opened in Vancouver, Canada.”

He also pointed to a study out of France that he said “found a more than 50 percent reduction in overdoses among people who used overdose prevention centers in that country compared to people who used other harm-reduction programs.”

“I would argue that the evidence in other countries is very promising and compelling,” he said in that interview.

OPCs are already operating in some countries and in New York City, where supporters say they’ve prevented numerous overdose deaths. The New York centers operate with city approval but are not sanctioned by the state.

Meanwhile, Minnesota and Vermont also recently authorized OPCs at the state level.

The federal stance on OPCs remains murky. On one hand, the Biden administration has let sites in New York City move forward, along with plans for the soon-to-be opened Rhode Island facility. On the other, Biden’s Justice Department has continued to stand in the way of another would-be OPC that organizers are trying to open in Philadelphia. (The Supreme Court in 2021 rejected a request to that hear that case, which was first filed during the Trump administration.)

Congressional researchers have highlighted the “uncertainty” of the federal government’s position on the facilities, pointing out last November that lawmakers could temporarily resolve the issue by advancing an amendment modeled after the one that has allowed medical marijuana laws to be implemented without Justice Department interference.

Meanwhile, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow has tacitly endorsed the idea of authorizing safe consumption sites, arguing that evidence has effectively demonstrated that the facilities can prevent overdose deaths.

Rahul Gupta, the White House drug czar, said in June that the Biden administration is reviewing broader drug policy harm reduction proposals, including the authorization of supervised consumption sites, and he went so far as to suggest possible decriminalization.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) put out a pair of requests for applications in December 2021 to investigate how safe consumption sites and other harm reduction policies could help address the drug crisis.

The Brown University research into the Providence OPC is one of the projects being funded by NIH, the university said.

Lisa Peterson, the chief operating officer at VICTA, one of the groups operating the center in Providence, told STAT News that she expects the facility to save lives and improve quality of life for city residents in general.

“I don’t think anybody wants to continue to see people die, and this is the evidence-based intervention that can supplement the work we’re doing with Narcan distribution and other types of harm reduction,” she said, describing the space as “only one part of a much broader approach to harm reduction.”

“It has positive outcomes on the neighborhood in terms of cleanliness,” Peterson added, “in terms of your kid not walking to school and seeing somebody overdosed on the sidewalk.”

Marshall said in the Brown University post about the research that the team’s primary goal “is to determine how engaging with an OPC impacts the health and well-being of people who use drugs.”

“We will assess outcomes including changes in overdose risk, uptake of treatment for substance use disorder and engagement with other health and social services,” he explained. Researchers will also analyze “whether neighborhoods surrounding the OPC experience a greater change in overdose rates, measures of drug-related public disorder and economic conditions following the opening of the OPC, compared to neighborhoods without such a center.”

Initial conversations with neighbors, business owners and workers in proximity to the OPC “found that 75 percent of people we spoke with are supportive of the center being in their neighborhood,” Marshall said. “While these results still need to undergo peer review, they represent among the highest levels of public acceptability for OPCs ever observed in the United States.”

Operators at Project Weber/RENEW did not immediately respond to an email from Marijuana Moment asking about the timeline for the OPC’s final license approval.

Psychedelic Therapy Reduces Depression Symptoms In Frontline Healthcare Workers, American Medical Association-Published Study Shows

Photo courtesy of Jernej Furman.

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Rhode Island

This RI Garden Transforms Into a Fairy Wonderland

Published

8 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

This RI Garden Transforms Into a Fairy Wonderland

It’s New England’s largest indoor public garden and this spring it’ll once again be teeming with fairies.

The Fairy Garden Days return to the Roger Williams Park Botanical Garden this April with hundreds of handmade fairy houses hidden throughout the Garden’s four greenhouses, plus special events and activities planned for kids every day.

Running from April 11-26, 2026, it’s a great day trip during school’s upcoming April vacation or a wonderful weekend adventure to enjoy an early taste of spring.

What Is Fairy Garden Days in Rhode Island?

This annual event has been one of my favorites since my daughters were babies—and we still go back every year.

What Kids Can Do at Fairy Garden Days

Though if your young ones lose interest in the fairy gardens before you do, there are plenty of activities around the greenhouses too. Kids can get hands on at the texture table, create their own wand, pen letters to the fairies or write out wishes, which get released every Thursdays.

Don’t Miss These Outdoor Garden Attractions

Outside the greenhouses are a Japanese-style trail to wander, a rose maze to make your way through and an outdoor play area where the kids can let their imaginations run wild.

Meet the Goats Behind the Garden’s Cleanup Crew

Definitely don’t forget to stop by the goat house between greenhouses 1 and 2 to say hi to the three Nigerian Dwarf goats calling the Botanical Garden home. These three are an invasive plant removal team, helping to naturally rid the Garden grounds of unwanted plants.

The goats will also celebrate their 9th birthdays during Fairy Garden Days, with a special celebration planned for them on Sunday, April 12 from 1:30 – 3 p.m. Just one of the many special events planned throughout the Fairy Garden Days from April 11-26.

Special Events Happening During Fairy Garden Days

Various fairy visits and story times are planned over the two-week event, with face painting each Tuesday and Saturday and bubble shows every Friday. There will also be an animal encounter with Roger Williams Park Zoo on April 11, Greenhouse Jazz on Sunday, April 19, and a performance from the Toe Jam Puppet Band on closing day, April 26.

10 Beautiful Botanical Gardens Across the SouthCoast

When the season is right, there are several spectacular gardens around the SouthCoast that are blooming with rows and rows of beautiful flowers. Here are some of the most popular places to tiptoe through the tulips and so much more.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

See Inside Gorgeous Gardens Hidden Away in Little Compton

For nearly 50 years the grounds of Sakonnet Garden have been growing in what might be the most private garden along the coast.

On certain days, at certain times you can make a reservation to walk among the hundreds of flowers and plants growing in hidden “rooms” on the grounds, or take a sneak peek right now.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

Explore Peaceful Gardens and Towering Cliffs at Immersive Monet

Claude Monet created thousands of works of art over his decades as an artist. He traveled through Europe capturing gardens ,waterways, cathedrals and more. Now you can walk through the world Monet did and experience his artwork in a whole new way at Immersive Monet coming to Boston.

Here’s a taste of the artwork you could be surrounding yourself in.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

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Rhode Island

401Gives Starts Tuesday!

Published

20 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

This is a big year for us – hiring a full-time reporter – and we need your help This week, East Greenwich News will participate in the 401Gives – an annual fundraiser organized by the United Way of Rhode Island to support nonprofits across the state. This year, 401Gives will run for two days, from […]

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Rhode Island

Medical school at URI won’t ensure primary care docs for RI | Opinion

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Medical school at URI won’t ensure primary care docs for RI | Opinion

Dr. Kelly McGarry and Dr. Maria Iannotti
| Guest columnists

Rhode Island is currently experiencing a significant shortage of primary care physicians.
Opening a new medical school at URI is not seen as a timely or effective solution to the crisis.
Even with more medical school graduates, there is no guarantee they will choose primary care or stay in the state.
Better solutions include increasing pay, offering loan repayment, and reducing administrative burdens for doctors.

The doctor is not in, and there’s not one on the way either. Many Rhode Islanders are well aware that the state is facing a harrowing shortage of primary care physicians. As native Rhode Islanders and physicians invested in quality accessible primary care for our community, we are dedicated to working towards policies to support our state.

A medical school at the University of Rhode Island is not the solution to solve the primary care crisis. A medical school at URI would not provide a timely solution, would likely not achieve the target outcome of increasing the number of primary care physicians in the state, and would likely not address the underlying issue of getting doctors to stay. Instead, resources should be allocated now to supporting primary care in ways that would make sustainable change.

Lack of access to primary care is hurting patients now. A medical school at URI would not be a short- or long-term solution. In addition to the time needed to engineer an accredited medical school, it takes seven years to produce an inexperienced primary care physician. Once trained, there still must be an incentive to stay in Rhode Island. Patients do not have access to necessary care for acute and chronic conditions. The burden on our health care system, impacting ER wait times and hospital capacity, impacts everyone. We cannot afford to wait another decade for a solution.

More physicians does not equal more physicians in primary care or in Rhode Island. If the aim is to produce more physicians from URI’s medical school, this will certainly occur, but we should not delude ourselves into believing it will fix primary care. It’s not due to lack of opportunities. In 2019, the National Resident Matching Program offered a record number of primary care positions, yet the percentage filled by students graduating from MD-granting medical schools in the United States was a new low. Of 8,116 internal medical positions that were offered, just 41.5% were filled by U.S. students; most residency spots went to foreign-trained and U.S.-trained osteopathic physicians.

As medical schools across the country look to debt reduction as a means of encouraging students to enter primary care specialties, their goals have fallen far short. In 2018, The New York University School of Medicine offered full-tuition scholarships to every medical student, regardless of merit or need. In 2024, only 14% of NYU’s graduating seniors entered primary care, lower than the national average of 30%.

There must be an incentive to stay in Rhode Island (or at least not a disadvantage). Our efforts must shift to recruiting and maintaining physicians in primary care. Inequitable reimbursement from commercial insurers between Rhode Island and neighboring states (leading to significantly lower salaries than if you lived here and traveled to Attleboro to care for patients), the lack of loan repayment(average medical student debt is $250,000, forcing the choice between meaning and money), and the ongoing administrative burdens are amongst the drivers away from primary care. Rhode Island needs to get on par with surrounding states to prevent physicians from going elsewhere.

The motivations behind opening a medical school are well intended in terms of wanting to increase the number of primary care providers by enabling local talent to train close to home. Training more people in Rhode Island will not keep them here; it will invest significant resources without addressing the root of the issue. Until there are comparable salaries between Rhode Island and our neighbors, until loan repayment is improved and the administrative burdens are reduced, primary care in the state will forever be fighting an uphill battle. Both providers and patients suffer the consequences.

Dr. Kelly McGarry is the director of the General Internal Medicine Residency at Rhode Island Hospital. Dr. Maria Iannotti is a first-year resident, a Rhode Islander intent on practicing primary care in Rhode Island.

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