EXCLUSIVE — Washington, D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George has floated the policy of opening safe injection sites in the district to help relieve its opioid overdose crisis. Safe injection sites, sometimes called overdose prevention centers, are places where people can go to use illegal drugs under professional supervision. The facilities are aimed at creating spots where people struggling with substance abuse can use illicit drugs in a spot where they are at a lower risk of overdosing. But the centers have also faced criticism from communities and neighbors, as blue cities have begun to distance themselves from the strategy.Lewis George, a current councilwoman and socialist, is a front-runner in the mayor’s race, edging out her main opponent, former councilman Kenyan McDuffie, in the latest poll ahead of the June 16 Democratic primary. Lewis George broke fundraising records in the district when she launched her Zohran Mamdani-style candidacy, aiming to attract young voters with liberal ideas.
JANEESE LEWIS GEORGE HOLDS LEAD OVER KENYAN MCDUFFIE IN DC MAYOR RACE
Endorsed by the district’s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, she has centered her public safety platform on coupling offender accountability with intervention and prevention techniques. She pointed to the idea of safe injection sites for addressing the opioid crisis in the Metro DC DSA’s endorsement questionnaire in May 2025, calling opioid overdoses “one of the most urgent public health crises” that the district faces.
