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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 1285
AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN OVERDOSE PREVENTION CENTER
PILOT PROGRAM.
SUMMARY
This bill allows the Department of Mental Health and Addiction
Services (DMHAS), in consultation with the Department of Public
Health (DPH), to create a pilot program to prevent drug overdoses by
establishing overdose prevention centers. The centers must be
established in four municipalities DMHAS chooses, subject to their chief
elected official’s approval.
Under the bill, these centers must employ, among others, licensed
health care providers with experience treating people with substance
use disorders at staffing levels the DMHAS commissioner determines.
A provider’s participation in the pilot program is not grounds for
disciplinary action by DPH or its professional licensing boards.
Additionally, the bill:
1. prohibits DMHAS from using state funds to implement or
operate the pilot program and allows the department to accept
private donations and grants (e.g., money, equipment, supplies,
and services) for this purpose;
2. allows DMHAS to establish a 15-member advisory committee to
give recommendations to DMHAS and DPH on the pilot
program;
3. exempts centers established through the pilot program from the
requirement to obtain certificate of need approval from the Office
of Health Strategy;
4. if established, requires the commissioner to report to the Public 2025SB-01285-R000607-BA.DOCX
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Health Committee by January 1, 2027, on the pilot program’s
operation and any advisory committee recommendations or
legislation needed to permanently establish centers; and
5. allows DMHAS to adopt regulations to implement the pilot
program.
Under the bill, overdose prevention centers are community-based
facilities where a person with substance use disorder may, among other
things, (1) receive various services (e.g., counseling and treatment
referrals); (2) use test strips and other drug testing technology to test a
substance before consuming it; and (3) in a separate area of the facility,
safely use controlled substances under medical supervision.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
CENTER SERVICES AND PROVIDERS
The bill requires overdose prevention centers under the pilot
program to offer the following services to people with substance use
disorders:
1. substance use disorder and other mental health counseling;
2. use of test strips and other drug testing technology to prevent
accidental overdose (see below);
3. educational information about opioid antagonists (e.g.,
naloxone) and the risks of contracting diseases from sharing
hypodermic needles, syringes, and other drug paraphernalia;
4. referrals to substance use disorder services or other mental health
counseling or mental health or medical treatment services;
5. access to basic support services, including laundry machines, a
bathroom, a shower, and a place to rest; and
6. use of a separate part of the facility to safely consume controlled
substances under the observation of on-site health care
providers. 2025SB-01285-R000607-BA.DOCX
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The bill requires the centers to offer test strips upon the person’s
request and allow their use at the center. The purpose of the strips is to
test a substance, before injecting, inhaling, or ingesting it, for traces of
any substance that the DMHAS commissioner recognizes as having a
high risk of causing an overdose.
Under the bill, center employees must at least include licensed health
care providers with experience treating people with substance use
disorders. These providers must (1) provide substance use disorder or
other mental health counseling services and (2) monitor people using
the center and provide medical treatment to those experiencing
overdose symptoms. The centers must give participants referrals for
counseling or other mental health or medical treatment services that
may be appropriate.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Membership
Under the bill, the advisory committee, if established, includes the
following members:
1. the DMHAS commissioner, who serves as advisory committee
chairperson;
2. the attorney general, or his designee;
3. one representative each from a medical society, hospital
association, and conference of municipalities in the state;
4. one representative of the Connecticut chapter of a national
addiction medicine society;
5. one person each who has a substance use disorder, suffered a
drug overdose, and is a family member of someone who suffered
a fatal drug overdose;
6. one person working in overdose prevention;
7. two current or former law enforcement officials, one of whom
works or worked as such in Connecticut; 2025SB-01285-R000607-BA.DOCX
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8. one professor at a Connecticut higher education institution with
experience researching overdose prevention issues;
9. one person with experience establishing or operating an
overdose prevention center outside of the United States; and
10. one representative of a northeastern coalition of harm reduction
centers.
Duties
The bill requires the advisory committee to make recommendations
to DMHAS and DPH on the pilot program, including the following:
1. ways of maximizing the public health and safety benefits of
overdose prevention centers;
2. the proper disposal of hypodermic needles, syringes, and other
drug paraphernalia from the centers;
3. the availability of programs to support people using the centers
in recovering from substance use disorders;
4. any laws impacting centers’ establishment and operation;
5. appropriate guidance to relevant professional licensing boards
on health care providers who provide services at these centers;
6. the consideration of other relevant factors that help promote the
public’s health and safety; and
7. liability protection for centers’ property owners, staff, volunteers,
and participants, including immunity from civil and criminal
liability resulting from the centers’ operation.
BACKGROUND
Related Federal Law
The federal Controlled Substances Act prohibits someone from
owning, leasing, managing, controlling, opening, or using a place to
illegally use, store, manufacture, or distribute controlled substances. 2025SB-01285-R000607-BA.DOCX
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Violators are subject to up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000
for an individual or up to $2 million for an organization, or both (21
U.S.C. § 856(a)(2)).
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Health Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 23 Nay 9 (03/21/2025)