A proposal by the mayor of Ithaca to open a supervised heroin injection center, where addicts could have a safe haven to take illegal drugs in front of medical professionals, is not as crazy as it sounds, according to
Richard D. Blondell, MD, professor of
family medicine. He says opponents of such facilities have valid concerns, but Blondell argues the harm reduction model is a better way to treat addiction, a topic the public often misunderstands.