PHILADELPHIA — The federal government sought another delay in a yearslong legal battle to open a supervised injection site in Philadelphia on Monday, leaving unsettled whether a place for people in addiction to use drugs under medical supervision, and be revived if they overdose, can open in one of the cities hit hardest by a worsening national overdose crisis.
Federal officials asked for a two-month extension to a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit Safehouse, which seeks to make Philadelphia the nation’s second city trying this approach to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. Since last year, government lawyers and Safehouse have been negotiating the legal questions around opening a site in Philadelphia.
Previously, Safehouse and the Department of Justice have mutually agreed to extend the court deadline for the feds to respond several times. But Ronda Goldfein, Safehouse’s vice president, said the nonprofit plans to file a motion opposing the request for an extension.
