In Lille, the lower risk consumption room project for drug addicts is blocked

Its opening was announced for October 1, before being postponed, finally the commissioning of the lower risk drug consumption room in Lille today seems compromised.

Since 2016 and the law allowing the experimentation of these safe consumption rooms for drug addicts, Martine Aubry had announced her desire to create one in Lille. It was to be the third on the list after Strasbourg and Paris but the mayor today denounces a blockage on the part of the government and points the finger at the Minister of the Interior. Gérald Darmanin has indeed said on several occasions his opposition to the opening of these rooms, in particular on the antenna of France Bleu Nord.

The place had however been chosen, at 54 boulevard de Metz, and according to the elected, it fulfills all the criteria fulfilled by the law: it is in the heart of several consumption districts (Lille Sud, Moulins, Wazemmes, Faubourg de Béthune and Porte des Postes), there are few residents nearby, and the white zone – the area where drug addicts can move without being checked by the police – is far from the heart of the life of the inhabitants. The site also adjoins the Lille University Hospital addiction center. The premises are therefore ready, and the 12 employees are waiting to sign their employment contract. The file was validated by all the partners, in particular the Regional Health Agency and the Prosecutor of the Republic of Lille.

But at the end of September, when he was on the right track, the case stalled. The city learned that it had to find another location. The Prefect of the North, who arrived in the region in July, first suggested Hellemmes, but the project leaders quickly demonstrated that it was not appropriate.

A huge mess

Then last week, and again this Monday evening, by a letter from the Prime Minister, a new proposal was made to the city: to install this room on the site of the Saint-Sauveur wasteland. However, after the recent decision of the administrative court concerning the development of this wasteland, no building permit can be issued there. Legally, it is therefore impossible to install the consumption room there at a lower risk. “It’s a huge mess” reacts Martine Aubry, who says she is torn between anger and sadness. _“_So here we have Gérald Darmanin who refuses to apply the law. It is not a political decision, but a political one. When we no longer apply the laws of the Republic, we can worry. And we can be worried about the start of this electoral campaign. ”

The municipality is therefore unable to say today if the project will see the light of day, explaining that the decision belongs to the government.