Senate votes to study needle exchanges

On Thursday, May 5 the Senate amended a bill intended to legalize needle exchanges in New Hampshire, instead establishing a study commission on the issue.

As originally written, the bill - HB 1681 - would have legalized "residual amounts" of drugs in hypodermic needles and would have allowed persons other than pharmacists to distribute new needles. The bill did not include any regulatory framework or funding for a needle exchange.

The debate over HB 1681 focused on the implications of legalizing drugs in "residual amounts."

Supporters argued that the law should allow qualified individuals to pick up and dispose of used hypodermic needles. On the Senate floor May 5, several Senators testified that medical technicians, firefighters, and other volunteers are technically breaking the law when they pick up discarded needles used to inject drugs.

Opponents argued that legalizing trace amounts of drugs would deprive law enforcement of an important tool for searching and arresting drug dealers. They also criticized the bill for failing to define the quantity of drugs in "residual amounts."

The House must approve the Senate's version of HB 1681. If the bill passes, the study commission has until November 1 to recommend any legislation related to "syringe services programs."

Do you think New Hampshire should legalize trace amounts of drugs in needles? Share your opinion in the comments.