“A California court halted Orange County’s only needle exchange program this week — a decision that illustrates the challenges these programs face despite significant evidence for their benefits.
In issuing a preliminary injunction, state Judge Joel Wohlfeil stopped the Orange County Needle Exchange Program (OCNEP) from operating.
Orange County’s argument, like Santa Ana’s, focused on a trope often used against syringe exchanges: the threat of needle litter — the idea that exchanges let people obtain a lot of syringes that are then improperly disposed in public places, exposing the public to the risk of getting inadvertently stuck by a needle.
The court agreed that the needle litter problem in fact preceded the syringe exchange, but it indicated that the needle exchange had exacerbated the problem. That was a big reason for the court’s preliminary injunction.”
Read more at: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/11/29/18116700/orange-county-needle-exchange-opioid-epidemic
Source: Vox.com – November 29, 2018
