When cities consider where to place overdose prevention centres, local businesses and residents often raise concerns. Will foot traffic drop? Will consumers spend less nearby? These are fair questions. Now, for the first time, solid empirical evidence helps answer them.

A study published in JAMA Network Open in February 2026 examined local commercial activity in two New York City neighbourhoods. Researchers looked at what changed after the first publicly recognised overdose prevention centres in the United States opened in November 2021. The results may surprise many people.

What Overdose Prevention Centres Did to Local Commerce

The study focused on East Harlem and Washington Heights. Researchers tracked anonymised foot traffic and consumer spending data for roughly six months before and after the centres opened. The data covered more than 1,250 consumer spending sites and nearly 7,800 foot traffic locations.

The team used augmented synthetic control modelling to compare actual neighbourhood outcomes to what likely would have happened without the centres. The conclusion was straightforward. Neither foot traffic nor consumer spending changed significantly after the overdose prevention centres opened.

In East Harlem, consumer spending shifted by just under negative $22 per site. The p-value was 0.16, which means the result carries no statistical significance. Foot traffic moved by only 1.28 visits on average. Washington Heights showed the same picture. Researchers found no meaningful difference at any point across the six-month period after opening.

The findings held across every geographic area the team tested. A five-minute walking radius, a ten-minute walking radius, and the formal Business Improvement Districts around each site all pointed to the same conclusion. No significant economic disruption occurred.

Why Supervised Drug Consumption Sites Raise Economic Concerns

For many years, critics of supervised drug consumption sites have argued that such facilities drive customers away from local shops and discourage commercial investment. This study is the first rigorous, data-driven examination of that claim in a US context. The data do not support it.

Context matters here. The two overdose prevention centres opened within already established syringe service programmes. They were not brand-new standalone facilities placed in unfamiliar neighbourhoods. The findings speak specifically to the economic effect of adding an overdose prevention component to an existing service site. Nearby businesses experienced no measurable disruption.

Both neighbourhoods saw foot traffic rise over the study period. This most likely reflects the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the gradual return of workers and shoppers to city streets. Consumer spending dipped modestly. That same dip appeared across all comparison neighbourhoods in New York City. It aligns with broader national economic trends during late 2021 and early 2022, not with anything specific to the centres.

Understanding the Broader Picture

Overdose deaths in the United States remain at historically high levels. Despite a decrease between 2023 and 2024, the crisis continues to affect communities across the country. Policymakers, residents, and business owners face difficult decisions about how to respond.

Economic fears often lead the conversation when people discuss overdose prevention centres. Critics argue that supervised drug consumption sites damage neighbourhood commercial life, depress property values, and push consumers away. These concerns deserve serious attention. That is exactly why evidence matters so much.

The New York City data suggest the commercial life of East Harlem and Washington Heights went largely unchanged. The study’s authors recommend that future research extend the observation window beyond six months. They also suggest examining other economic indicators such as commercial vacancy rates, business openings and closures, and employment patterns. Research into newly established overdose prevention centres, such as the one that opened in Providence, Rhode Island in January 2025, will add to this picture over time.

What the Evidence Means for Overdose Prevention Centres Policy

This study does not settle every question about overdose prevention centres. It does not address every consideration that communities and decision-makers must weigh. Legitimate debates remain around resources, community input, and the best ways to support public health in high-need areas.

The research does tell us that economic harm concerns may be overstated, at least in high-density urban settings like New York City. When the data show no meaningful impact on consumer spending or foot traffic, it becomes harder to justify opposing these centres on economic grounds alone.

Good policy decisions rest on good evidence. The data from East Harlem and Washington Heights give communities and decision-makers a clearer, more honest foundation from which to have those conversations.

Source: jamanetwork