DIRTY NEEDLE DISPOSAL STATE'S NEXT FOCUS

Now that Illinois affords its citizens greater access to clean
syringes, the state must figure out how to get rid of dirty needles

Hoping to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases
among intravenous drug users, lawmakers have allowed the state's
pharmacists to sell hypodermic needles without a prescription.

Illinois had been one of just five states to require a prescription to
buy syringes. Not everyone is convinced the state's shift toward the
mainstream is a positive change.

"This does nothing, absolutely nothing, to get the dirty needles off
the street," said Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson. "The net effect of this
legilsation is that we will have an increased amount of dirty needles
on the street or in public places."

Moffitt was one several central Illinois legislators to vote against
Senate Bill 880 as it traveed through the Democrat-dominatied General
Assembly this spring.

"Many believe that it will drive down the number of users that have
HIV, but I think it's a perceptual concern that we're condoning the
use of drugs, and that's why I voted against it," said Sen. Larry
Bomke, R-Springfield.

On previous years, similar legislative efforts were never able to
emerge from a Republican-controlled Senate. Gov. Rod Blagojevich
signed SB 880 late Friday but did not announce it publicly until Monday.

While the state has taken a step in the right direction by making
clean needles available, it may need separate legislation to regulate
the disposal of used syringes, said Mike Minesinger, president of the
Central Illinois Pharmaceutical Association.

"I think there needs to be an organized disposal program because
syringe waste, to me, is a bigger issue for the general public. HIV
transmission between drug users may not be that much concern to John
Q. Public," he said. "I think there's a perception among the general
population that, with this increasxed access to syringes, there are
going to be syringes laying in the gutter up and down the street."

Beth Wehrman says that perception does not match reality. A
registered nurse, Wehrman works with the I-74 Exchange, an outreach
group that provides disease screening, overdose prevention counseling
and clean needles in communities across central Illinois.

"I think that's one of those public myths, if you will, that people
are just throwing these things all over the place," she said. "People
take really, really good care and hold on to their syringes, if it's
safe to. Now if it's a risk of holding on to them or being arrested,
I'm sure they would ditch them."

Now that risk is gone. SB 880 decriminalized needle possession,
meaning users no longer face a $750 paraphanalia charge.

Syringes are fairly cheap, costing less than $5 for a pack of
10.

Still, proponents say there will not be proliferation of used needles
littering communities.

"In other states that have enacted laws like this, we have not seen
increases in syringes being discarded on the street," AIDS Foundation
of Chicago spokeswoman Karen Reitan said.

Her organization is working with the Illinois Department of Public
Health to establish a needle-disposal program for the state. A
spokeswoman for Public Health said a number of organizations have been
invited to join that discussion. The department hopes to emulate
successful programs in St. Louis and Connecticut.