[Intime News]
Health authorities said Wednesday that a pioneering supervised drug consumption facility in central Athens has prevented 772 overdose deaths since opening four years ago, as the government moves to expand the program nationwide.
Over four years, 2,818 users made 134,513 visits to the Athens site, avoiding street use. Staff administered naloxone in 299 overdose cases and closely monitored 473 others. The facility also distributed 88,000 syringes and condoms.
Encouraged by results, authorities launched a mobile unit in Thessaloniki, which in 2025 alone logged 17,156 visits from 1,033 users and prevented 57 overdose deaths. Three additional mobile units are planned for Attica.
EOPAE president Athanasios Theocharis said the site proves “public health policies can be simultaneously effective and inclusive.”