SENATE TO DEBATE ON BILL TO REPEAL R.I. SYRINGE LAW

PROVIDENCE -- John has seen a lot of needles over 30 years of
shooting heroin -- some clean, some not. It was one of the dirty
needles, shared with another addict, that gave him the virus that
causes AIDS.

Worrying about contaminated syringes has consumed a big part of John's
life. He bathed old, shared needles in bleach to try to kill viruses.
He participated in state-sanctioned needle exchanges, swapping used
syringes for sterile ones. He posed as an insulin patient, so he could
buy cheap, safe syringes from pharmacies.

But a heroin addict's cravings are strong, much stronger than the fear
of blood-borne pathogens or the pain and difficulty of hunting for
veins with a dull needle.

``I've seen people use them over and over again,'' said John, a
Providence addict who declined to give his last name.

``I'll go to a place, and and then I'll be there a couple of days
later, and they're using the same [needle] again, and they'll file it
down with a matchbook so the point can go in easier.''

Recognizing that shared needles spread HIV and hepatitis among
intravenous drug users, Rhode Island lawmakers are considering
legislation that would repeal the law that makes it illegal to possess
a syringe without a prescription. The proposal would give addicts
access to cheap, safe syringes, which they could purchase without a
prescription from pharmacies.

The legislation has cleared committees in both the House and Senate.
The bills are sponsored by two East Side Democrats, Rep. David
Cicilline and Sen. John Roney. Roney's version is scheduled for debate
by the full Senate today.

Two years ago, Rhode Island reduced the penalty for carrying a syringe
without a prescription from a felony to a misdemeanor. But the state
remains one of the few where it remains a crime, a fact that advocates
and health officials say is reflected in its disease-infection rates:
more than half the state's new HIV cases are contracted by drug users
who are sharing contaminated needles.

The decriminalization bill is backed by Brown University's School of
Medicine, which runs an HIV treatment program where John is a patient.
It also is supported by Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. and the
Providence Police Department, among a host of others.

The state's restrictions on syringes to combat heroin use, said Roney,
``make as much sense as cutting down on the availability of glasses to
eliminate drinking, or cutting down on the availability of matches to
eliminate smoking.''

But the state's top police official disagrees. State Police Supt.
Edmond S. Culhane Jr., strenuously opposes the legislation, and says
repealing the criminal syringe law would encourage drug abuse and make
it harder to combat drug dealers.

``The bill appears to offer addicts an unlimited supply of equipment
to support their continued use of drugs and is not directed toward
treating the addict,'' Culhane said in a letter to the Senate
Judiciary Committee.

``If the legislature passes this bill, it will be telling the citizens
of Rhode Island that it is acceptable to use illegal drugs, and here
are the needles to do so,'' he said. ``That is not the appropriate
message to send.''

Culhane added that the existing syringe law is an important law
enforcement tool, because it gives police an extra charge they can use
to induce drug addicts to ``provide information to law enforcement
that can be critical in narcotics investigations.''

But by taking the opposite position from Culhane and citing overriding
health benefits, Providence Police Chief Urbano Prignano has given
State House lawmakers political cover to support the legislation. The
measures appear to be sailing along with little controversy.

House Minority Leader Gerard Martineau said he supports the House
measure, which passed the Health Education and Welfare Committee, and
plans to bring it before the full House for a vote next week.

Governor Almond's spokeswoman, Lisa Pelosi, said Almond remains open
to the idea of decriminalizing syringes. But he will wait on adopting
a position until a bill reaches his desk. ``The governor recognizes
the health benefits,'' she said, ``and he also is aware of the law
enforcement concerns.''

Addicts will opt for clean needles when they are given the chance,
said John, whose telephone interview with the Journal yesterday was
arranged by Brown University's Dr. Josiah Rich, an assistant professor
of medicine and an expert in AIDS transmission.

``There are a couple of reasons people will always choose a clean
syringe over a dirty one,'' said John. ``One is for health reasons.
The other is it's a brand new sharp point.''

John recalls a ``shooting gallery'' on Valley Street in Providence, a
place where heroin users would gather to satisfy their craving, where
they could buy black-market syringes for $5 to $20. The ``new''
syringes, he said, were probably used.

What's more, said John, many addicts don't even buy the dubious
black-market syringes, because of the cost. Instead, they share.

``It's not because they want to share them, it's because they need
them. They don't want to pay the money to get one. The money you
spend, you can get a bag [of heroin] for.''

Rich says the cost of a needle at a pharmacy is 25 cents. Connecticut
changed its law to allow the legal sale and possesion of syringes in
1992. Since then, Rich said, there has been a 39 percent decline in
the re-use of syringes. Moreover, there has been no increase in drug
use or improper disposal of syringes, said Rich.

One element of the Rhode Island proposal would require pharmacists to
provide syringe purchasers with information about safe disposal
methods. This is in response to complaints that increased availability
of syringes could lead to more episodes of used syringes winding up in
playgrounds, beaches and other public places.

Bringing drug users into frequent contact with health-care
professionals would be beneficial in other ways, Rich said.

``Over time,'' he said, ``there's the possibility that the pharmacist
will be able to encourage this person to get tested for HIV and get
medical care and substance abuse treatment.''