DENVER — In an 8-5 vote, the Denver City Council on Monday removed certain restrictions for syringe exchange sites in an effort to expand such services.
Under the city’s Syringe Access Programs (SAP), participating centers can provide “sterile hypodermic syringes in exchange for used hypodermic syringes, needles or other objects used to inject substances into the body.” The centers provide education surrounding the transmission of diseases as well as treatment referrals.
SAPs are not safe use sites, meaning people cannot use drugs on center property.
Under a 1997 law, syringe exchange programs needed to be 1,000 feet from schools, and only three were allowed in the city at a time. The city council voted Monday to remove those restrictions.
There are still restrictions for needle exchange sites. According to the ordinance, centers must conform with state law and operate in compliance with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE). Centers must also reach a voluntary agreement with surrounding residents before they can operate.
“We see about 200 people per morning being proactive about their health,” said Lisa Raville, executive director of the Harm Reduction Action Center, the largest syringe access program in the state. “We served about 5,100 unduplicated folks last year for 27,000 access episodes.”
Raville said needle exchange sites keep used needles off the streets, help prevent the transmission of diseases and give people access to other opportunities.
“Resources with those referrals on site, service providers on site, testing on-site, Hepatitis C treatment and also Naloxone,” she said.
- Read DDPHE’s rules and regulations for Syringe Access Programs (SAP) below
According to DDPHE, people who use syringe access programs are five times more likely to also access treatment for substance use. Organizers are hopeful that by removing the restrictions, they may be able to help more people in need.
“It’s an archaic ordinance where we have shown — not only for the last 22 years as an agency, and for the last 13 years being heavily regulated — this is a professional organization. Syringe and pipe access programs are needed in the community. We push forward for a healthier and safer Denver,” Raville said.
During a discussion of the ordinance change, the five dissenting city council members — Flor Alvidrez, Kevin Flynn, Amanda Sawyer, Darrell Watson and Diana Romero Campbell — expressed concerns over drug use and crime in the areas surrounding the programs. They also saw the buffer as a way to protect children from exposure to drug use.
The ordinance change now heads to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s desk. According to our partners at The Denver Post, Johnston, who has expressed skepticism about the change, has five days to either sign or veto the ordinance.
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