A limp hand sticks out through the bars of a metal fence, where a man is lying unconscious on the hot pavement.

The Ford government has confirmed that nine of the 10 supervised consumption sites it will force to close by the end of March have been greenlit to transition into intensive addiction recovery hubs.

San Francisco lawmakers unveiled plans on Tuesday to "fast track" the opening of supervised injection centers, where individuals can openly use illegal drugs under the care of trained professionals.