Medical issue? Its really not a medical issue, its an illegal drug issue. If you gave them someplace to shoot up, I don't believe for a minute that it would stop those who shoot up while driving, parking, breaking into vacant homes and buildings, etc. They are...whats the word...ADDICTS!!. They will use whenever and wherever they can, no thought to anyone else's safety or well being.
Of course it's a position not many people agree with, but when addicts share needles and spread diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Hep C, etc. then I'd argue it is, in fact, a medical issue.
When they drive and nod out and cause crashes, it's a public safety issue.
I edited my last post to add an example.
Portugal gives addicts a safe place to shoot up, and clean utensils and has a drug overdose rate of 3 drug overdose deaths for every 1,000,000 citizens. The average of the EU is 17.3 per million citizens.
I know it doesn't sound like a plan, but it's worked out, very well, for Portugal over the last 15 years.
People with this kind of foolish mentality scare me.
Much like you, I've known more than a few people that have been addicted to heroin, contracted a disease from it, and (thankfully) are now clean. Doesn't change my belief that our way of combating drug abuse has not worked, and has cost us a #### ton of money over the past few decades.