Debate About Safe Injection Sites Is A Family Affair For Some

DENVER (CBS4) - Carrying signs, protesters stood outside the Colorado State Capitol on Monday to urge lawmakers to reject the creation of safe injection sites for drugs. The Denver City Council passed such a measure in November, but the state must gives its "okay."

Mustafa Ahmad was among the protestors with placards that read, "Safe Injection Sites Are Death Traps." CBS4's Rick Sallinger asked him why he was there.

"My son is a recovering heroin addict," Ahmad replied.

CBS4 asked him if we could speak to his son, Kyle Giddings, and see if he felt the same way about safe injection sites. It turns out he feels just the opposite about them.

"I think it would have helped, in fact I know it would have helped," Kyle said.

His father countered.

"If these existed when my son was doing this, he wouldn't have just snorted or smoked heroin, he would have injected it."

But Kyle was certain it would have benefited him while he was addicted.

"It would have provoked me to seek treatment," he said.

The sites are already in effect in other cities like Vancouver, Canada. There, people can bring illegal drugs and inject them under medical supervision in case of an overdose.

Kyle was on drugs for some seven years. He has been clean for four.

"I think safe injection sites are the first step towards tackling opiate epidemic," he said. His father looks at such sites differently.

"It's to kill them, to be able to enable them to do heroin, and it's a horrible horrible drug. It destroys families," Mustafa said.

He says his son attended Brown University, was in politics and was going to teach, but threw it away due to heroin.

Now, Kyle works or a flooring company with a new lease on life, and tries to convince his father he is right.

"This is where I am coming from as your son."