I don't think it's about saving some money, it sounds more like being overwhelmed. This is a very fucked-up problem to have. They're going to have to deny service when they run out of money, but you can't expect an EMT to say "no" to someone until it's all gone, no matter what the council votes to do.

This isn't going to save money - the policy is fucking RIFE with the opportunity for lawsuits.

This isn't going to save time - if the dispatcher hangs up they will call again and again.

This isn't even going to reduce the number of drug addicts - even if you successfully kill off all the (mostly impoverished minority people) addicted to drugs, since you are doing NOTHING to help the conditions that lead to the addiction, new people will just take their place. To extend HoZay's analogy, its letting all the houses burn down hoping that will solve the limited resources of the fire department, but not even trying to identify the arsonist setting them because those houses deserved to be burned, really.

(mostly impoverished minority people)? Almost all the heroin addicts i see are white.

from usnews.com -
The average user of heroin has changed drastically in the last decade. In 2000, black Americans aged 45-64 had the highest death rate for drug poisoning involving heroin. Now, white people aged 18-44 have the highest rate. The share of people who say they have used heroin in the past year is actually decreasing for non-whites. Heroin has taken hold of the white suburbs, which has prompted more attention for what is now being called a " health problem."

It's nice that heroin epidemic is getting more attention, maybe it could lead to some actual help from the federal government. Just a shame that it didn't get the attention it needed when it was non-whites that were most affected.

Addiction does not know race. It affects all people equally.

Addiction disproportionately affects those closer to the poverty line. Tell me, who is disproportionately represented in that group? I'm p sure it isn't white people.

Anyone can become an addict but minorities are put in an environment that creates addiction far, far more often.

But this time, it's mostly white people, else it would be a crime problem instead of a health problem.

Absolutely not true. There are many racial groups that have shown to be highly susceptible to addictive substances or behaviors. See: Native Americas and gambling/alcohol.

They gave us cigarettes, we gave them booze. Seems fair.
Who do we blame for the smack?

Germany.

Wouldn't these new replacements you are talking about have become addicts anyways? It's not like the dealers are going to deny them drugs because their area already has it quota.

Expand this logic and it collapses almost immediately. How about emergency responders not going to obese people for the third heart attack? Or not responding to lifelong smokers' third acute breathing problem? Or a woman's third emergency call for a problem pregnancy? Or an old person's third fall?

The whole "people should take responsibility for their choices" thing resonates with me, but it isn't the right yardstick for emergency medical services.

If they want to cut down on repeat overdoses the first step is to stop purchasing naloxone.