Comment Hello Goodmorning. Alaskan snow crabs are extinct — and here’s why. (Come for the conspiracy theories, stay for the real reason.) Send tips and seafood tidbits to [email protected] Today’s edition: A judge has blocked the Biden administration’s guidance on emergency abortions in Texas, and the White House is launching an effort to prepare for monkeypox on college campuses. But first… Supervised injection sites could lead to harmful political advertising California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) issued a divisive veto earlier this week, refusing to let his state begin a pilot program to open sites that allow supervised use of illegal drugs in three of its largest cities. But the move likely won’t hinder proponents’ efforts to create the state’s first locations. Within 24 hours, some nonprofits and local officials suggested they remain undeterred in their push to open supervised consumption sites in California, arguing that such centers could help combat the scourge of overdose deaths plaguing the country.

“As an organization, we’re definitely committed to moving forward,” said Laura Thomas, director of HIV policy and harm reduction at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, a nonprofit interested in launching a website. “To save lives, I am supporting a nonprofit organization that is now moving forward with the New York City model for overdose prevention programs,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in a statement.

Newsom isn’t the only politician grappling with this question — and he certainly won’t be the last. The nation’s only two locations opened their doors in New York last year and won the support of the city’s two previous mayors. Meanwhile, the Trump administration sued to stop a planned location in Philadelphia. But the Biden administration has yet to take an official position as the number of overdose deaths soared to 100,000 within a year. San Francisco Mayor London Breed: The news about SB57 is disappointing, but we’re not giving up. Overdose prevention programs save lives and help connect people to treatment and services. Thank you @Scott_Wiener for your leadership in the fight against overdose deaths. — London Breed (@LondonBreed) August 22, 2022 What was behind the veto? As a gubernatorial candidate in 2018, Newsom said he was “very, very open” to the idea. But four years later, he is striking down legislation to allow a pilot scheme, arguing it could “cause a world of unintended consequences”. He said he remains open to the sites if “local officials come back to the Legislature with recommendations for a truly limited pilot program.” However, some observers say his decision may not be purely based on politics. Instead, the politics of highly controversial websites may have played a role, particularly amid speculation that Newsom is positioning himself to run for president. (He shot down the notion that he would seek the nation’s highest office as recently as May.) “Ads write themselves,” said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School. “All you see are Gavin Newsom’s California ads and it’s drug addicts, crime and homeless people.” Opponents argue that opening the sites would send a message that condones drug use and won’t address the nation’s growing drug crisis. But advocates say such programs — referred to as overdose prevention centers — not only help save lives but can connect people to other resources, such as treatment and case management services.

The nation’s only two official sites are in New York. Since they opened in November, the program has helped reverse about 420 overdoses, Sam Rivera, executive director of OnPoint NYC, the nonprofit that operates the centers, told The Health 202.

Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes: SB 57 would allow certain cities and counties to operate facilities for people to consume illegal drugs. This retrograde proposal shows a disregard for life and would accelerate the CA drug epidemic. Please see my letter urging Governor Newsom to veto this bill. pic.twitter.com/1ykQ3P5Ejb — OC Sheriff Don Barnes (@OCSheriffBarnes) August 3, 2022 But what stance will the Biden administration take? This question has not yet been answered. President Biden has adopted a slate of harm reduction policies, which refer to measures aimed at reducing death and infectious disease rather than simply achieving abstinence. Federal officials’ latest drug plan calls for ensuring Americans can access syringe programs, test strips to detect the powerful synthetic fentanyl and naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses. But as our colleague Lenny Bernstein noted, the plan involved the still-controversial idea of ​​supervised drug use sites. The Justice Department has not said where it will land in the case of Philadelphia’s long-stalled supervised consumption sites. A spokesman said the department was analyzing the sites in an email yesterday.

“While we cannot comment on pending litigation, the Department is evaluating supervised consumption sites, including discussions with state and local regulatory authorities regarding appropriate guardrails for such sites, as part of a comprehensive approach to harm reduction and public safety “, the representative wrote. statement.

Abortion was part of the debate in the Democratic battles last night Democratic efforts to mobilize voters in November around abortion gained new momentum last night after results from the closely watched Florida primary and New York special election, our colleagues Colby Itkovich and David Weigel write. The results were a welcome sign for Democratic leaders, who want to galvanize voters to vote against the Republican party, which has long felt well-positioned to make gains in November. Although Democrats now say they have reason for optimism, historical trends point to a difficult November for the president and Democrats. Here’s the latest from this morning: Abortion was heavily involved in a special election held in the state’s 19th District. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, the Democratic nominee, has made abortion rights a cornerstone of his campaign against Dutchess County Republican Marc Molinaro. The Associated Press called the fight for Ryan. Republicans had hoped the election would be a broadcast opportunity after Biden narrowly won the district in 2020. In two recent special elections in Nebraska and Minnesota, Democrats lost districts won by Trump by single digits after running hard for access to abortion. Those results encouraged Democrats to continue campaigning on the issue.

Meanwhile, in Florida… Rep. Charlie Crist — Florida’s one-time Republican governor who is now a Democrat — beat state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried to face Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) this fall. On the campaign trail, Fried blasted Crist for his checkered record on abortion. Democratic Rep. Val Demings won her party’s nomination to challenge Sen. Marco Rubio (R) this November in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races. Demings has already said she plans to make abortion access a key element of her campaign. Rebekah Jones will face Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) for a seat in the heavily Republican district. As a former Florida health department employee, she claimed the state falsified Covid-19 data, but the state inspector general’s report found her claims unfounded. Representative Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate for governor of Florida: Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.):

Federal judge blocks emergency abortion guidance in Texas A federal judge in Texas has struck down the Biden administration’s emergency abortion guidance that required doctors to terminate a pregnancy if doing so is necessary to stabilize a patient in a medical emergency, Reuters reports this morning. The judge only blocked the guidance in Texas, as well as against two anti-abortion physician groups, instead of a national injunction. The Department of Health and Human Services issued updated guidelines in July — which focused on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act — in an effort to show they are building on existing federal guidelines to maximize the chance of an abortion. But Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the effort. US District Judge James Wesley Hendricks, a Trump-era appointee, said the guidance went beyond the text of a federal law, Reuters notes. Politico’s Josh Gerstein: NOTE: Federal judge in Lubbock (James Hendricks/Trump) blocked HHS guidance on requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortion-related services (EMTALA). The decision applies in Texas and nationally to 2 pro-life groups. Document: https://t.co/vSjvtIuzIs — Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) August 24, 2022

White House Recipes

First on The Health 202: White House launches effort to prepare for monkeypox on college campuses The Biden administration this afternoon will launch a series of virtual town halls to provide guidance to colleges and universities on how best to contain the spread of monkeypox and covid-19 on campus this fall. Dimitris Daskalakis, the White House’s deputy coordinator for smallpox response, will be joined by officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College Health Association and the American Council on Education for the event. This comes as the administration has come under fire for mistakes in its response to monkeypox, such as failing to recognize that the virus is spreading more aggressively than in the past. About the event: Health officials will discuss key monkeypox mitigation strategies, guidelines for isolating students with the disease, and proper disinfection in areas such as locker rooms and public restrooms. The webinar will also touch on the best ways to educate students about monkeypox and the resources available to them, including recommendations for working with student health ambassadors and gay alliance leaders, a senior White…