San Francisco lawmakers and health leaders say they’re open to “safe supply,” a controversial drug policy that provides regulated access to narcotics.  The first public indication came at a Board of Supervisors hearing on Thursday, when Department of Public Health behavioral health director Hillary Kunins said that the city is looking to broaden access to medically assisted treatment for people suffering from drug dependency. Kunins pointed to Canada and Switzerland, which offer prescription opioids—including heroin and fentanyl—in an effort to stabilize the drug supply and destigmatize drug use. The health department is looking to the federal government to change laws around the practice, said Kunins.   “In other countries like Canada, like Switzerland, there’s a wider range of medications that are actually from the opioid class that have been found to reduce a person’s use of illicit opioids and to reduce the risk of overdose,” Kunins said on Thursday.  The practice is illegal federally in the U.S. But in subsequent interviews with The Standard, local legislators said they were open to the idea of “safe supply.” State Senator Scott Wiener, who authored safe consumption legislation recently vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom, told The Standard that he would support a “well run” safe supply program as long as it’s paired with strong access to treatment.  “We know the goal is to try to get people to use less or to stop entirely,” Wiener said. “I think if it’s done well [safe supply] can be very helpful in keeping people healthy and reducing drug dealing.” Withdrawal medications such as buprenorphine and methadone are already legal in the U.S. when prescribed for opioid addiction, and advocates on both sides of the drug policy debate have come out in support of utilizing medication-assisted treatment. But the idea of government-regulated narcotics in San Francisco has its critics.    https://sfstandard.com/public-health/sf-officials-say-they-back-safe-supply-or-legal-narcotics/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.