More needle exchange programs designed to help drug users avoid disease and seek treatment will be allowed to open across New Jersey with the state Health Department’s approval, under a bill Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law Tuesday.
State law has allowed needle exchange programs to provide drug users access to sterile syringes and allow them to dispose of them safely in an effort to prevent them from becoming infected with HIV or other illnesses. But that law, enacted in 2006, gave municipal officials the authority to permit or prohibit these programs from operating in their communities.
As a result, there are only seven private-run programs: in Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Camden, Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, and Trenton, according to the state Health Department website. In July, the city council in Atlantic City voted to disband the program, but operators and activists successfully challenged the ordinance and a judge has kept it open.
The new law, S3009, now gives the state health department sole authority to approve or terminate the exchanges, also known as harm reduction centers.
“The principles of harm reduction are simple. We must accept that there is drug use in our communities. Some ways of using drugs are more dangerous than other ways. We need to meet people where they are, rather than forcing on them some preconceived notion of what their life should look like,” said state Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, a main sponsor of the bill.
“The signing of these bills into law will help us reinforce the truth that harm reduction policies are successful because they help us to meet people who use drugs where they are, without judgment.”
The law now ends this legal battle in Atlantic City, the NJ Harm Reduction Coalition wrote in a tweet Tuesday morning. “The Oasis Drop-In Center operated by the @SJAIDSAlliance will be able to remain open, now that municipalities can no longer arbitrarily close lifesaving syringe services!”
A nurse serves with each syringe access team to conduct tests for pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, teach safer injection practices and arrange for medical and treatment referrals, the state website says.
The law also includes $5 million in state taxpayer money to support the centers and another $10 million for substance abuse treatment programs.
Murphy also signed a bill (S3493) that would decriminalize the possession of syringes in New Jersey and permits the expungement of syringe possession and distribution offenses. And he signed another measure (A798) that would create local overdose review teams to help better understand the circumstances that give rise to so many drug-related deaths.
Jenna Mellor, Executive Director of New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition, called the new laws “a game-changer for people who use drugs and people at-risk of a fatal overdose.”
“Harm reduction is the best tool we have to end the overdose crisis,” Mellor added. “I commend Governor Murphy and the bill sponsors for championing harm reduction and enacting policies that prioritize public health over punishment and stigma.”
Needle exchange programs are associated with a 50% reduction in Hepatitis C and HIV infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An estimated 3,081 New Jersey residents died from suspected drug overdoses last year, according to Murphy’s announcement.
“While this was not a significant increase over 2020, it shows this crisis is ever-present and demands that we increase access to every service that is proven to save lives, starting with harm reduction,” Murphy said in a statement. “These bills, coupled with the creation of local drug overdose fatality review teams, will strengthen our ability to save lives and further our commitment to ending the opioid crisis in New Jersey.”
Jay Lassiter, a journalist and longtime advocate for the bill who was once an IV drug user, said the centers save lives by giving drug users “a better chance of recovery,” while also saving local governments money.
“This is a very stigmatized population,” Lassiter said. “It’s very vulnerable, expensive population we’re trying to protect.”
The needle exchange bill was controversial because some lawmakers from both parties — despite expressing support for the good the exchanges can do — said they were worried about taking authority away from local governments. They argued towns should have a say.
But Democratic-controlled state Legislature passed the measure last week on the final voting day of the previous legislative session. The Senate approved it by a vote of 21-16 — with the minimum number of votes needed for it to pass the chamber — while the Assembly passed it 47-27.
“Both compassion and logic are at the heart of harm reduction programs,” said Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, D-Mercer, the prime sponsor for the syringe decriminalization bill. “With countless New Jerseyans struggling with addiction every day throughout our state, we cannot turn a blind eye to their needs. Making it easier for qualified entities to start – and continue – providing clean needles, overdose antidotes, and resources that can connect individuals with other support services is how we save lives.”
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Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @johnsb01.
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