BOSTON (SHNS) - Lawmakers dropped the controversial idea to pursue so-called safe injection sites in a compromise addiction and substance use disorder bill they filed Tuesday after months of private negotiations. Rep. Alice Peisch, Rep. Adrian Madaro, and Sen. Brendan Crighton filed the bill (H 5143) at the House clerk's office at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. With opioid-related deaths declining but still at crisis levels, the Senate embraced the sites, also known as overdose prevention centers where people can use illegal drugs under the supervision of trained health care workers.  Supporters say they are a life-saving tool to tamp down on the devastating effects of the opioid crisis, which has been exacerbated by the pervasive presence of fentanyl in the drug supply. Opponents say the sites are illegal under federal law and would encourage illegal drug use. The policy was not included in the House version of the bill, and lawmakers on the negotiating committee pointed to the controversial idea as the main sticking point in negotiations for the last few months. The bill is intended to limit the toll of addiction and substance use disorder, including with strategies to boost access to overdose reversal drugs, while the opioid epidemic continues across the state and nation. Opioid-related overdose deaths dropped 10 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, the largest year-over-year decline in two decades. But the crisis still killed more than 2,000 Bay Staters for the eighth straight year. "I think this bill is going to save lives, which we don't say lightly," Crighton told the News Service after dropping off the final deal in the House clerk's office. The Lynn Democrat highlighted "the increased access to overdose reversal medication, Naloxone, making sure that's available to anyone that needs it without any stigma or any penalties."