ATHENS – President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Wednesday inaugurated “Steki 46”, the first Supervised Injection Site (SIS) opened by the Greek addiction rehabilitation agency Organisation Against Drugs (OKANA), describing it as an “essential step for dealing with the dangers faced by dependent individuals”. She stressed that it will give them the necessary psychological impetus to take the decisive next step of their lives, the fight for a final recovery from their addiction and their smooth reintegration into society.

Sakellaropoulou stated that drugs can be used safely at the SIS, under medical supervision and using clean implements, in order to protect the health of users as much as possible and prevent the spread of infectious diseases. At the same time, she highlighted the fact that those using “Steki 46” will have a direct link with OKANA’s basic treatment programmes.

“In the long run, of course, we all hope that addicted individuals will move on from the immediate aid and support units to the organised OKANA facilities and to treatments with substitutes or so-called ‘dry’ programmes, aiming at their complete social rehabilitation. Until then, however, the state cannot turn a blind eye to the tragic image of mostly young people, most of whom end up being a shadow of their former selves,” the President of the Republic underlined.