It’s been over a month since the Phoenix City Council voted to adopt a revised ordinance that would ban particular medical care in public parks, and, as it soon comes into effect, local leaders and healthcare professionals continue sounding the alarm of the potential health risks this can pose for vulnerable populations.
Phoenix City Council voted 8-1 on Dec. 17 to make it a Class 1 Misdemeanor to sell or exchange clean syringes and needles, to distribute harm reduction kits or to hold events designed to provide medical care in public parks without prior authorization from the city.
From 2015 to 2023, Arizona reported 12,384 overdose deaths, according to the Arizona State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS). And in a state like Arizona, where summer temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees, substance abuse has been linked to heat-related deaths, according to a 2025 International Journal of Drug Policy study…