ROMNEY VETOES CLEAN NEEDLE BILL

Gov. Mitt Romney announced June 30 that he had vetoed a bill that
would have decriminalized the possession of syringes and allowed them
to be sold in pharmacies without a prescription. HIV/AIDS advocates
have lobbied for the Pharmacy Access bill, arguing that it would
greatly reduce HIV infections among IV drug users, but Romney told
reporters at a press conference that he believed the bill would
exacerbate the problem of heroin addiction in Massachusetts.

"I think the Legislature has taken the kind of approach that is
laudable, which is that they're looking to do good things for the
people of Massachusetts, but we believe that upon review of this bill
that some of the unintended consequences could be more severe than
the benefit that would be achieved by signing the bill. For that
reason I have vetoed the bill that was brought to my desk," Romney said.

The bill, which was passed by veto-proof majorities in both the House
and Senate, returns to the legislature where Rebecca Haag, executive
director of AIDS Action Committee, said she believes lawmakers will
override Romney's veto. Massachusetts is one of only three states
that outlaws the sale of needles without a prescription.

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, who Romney credited with heading up
his office's response to the Pharmacy Access bill, cited statistics
from the Department of Public Health showing that HIV infections
caused by IV drug use plummeted between 1997 and 2004, from
accounting for 32.8 percent of new infections to only 15.7 percent of
new infections. Over that same period Healey said both heroin-related
hospitalizations and fatal heroin overdoses skyrocketed, placing
Massachusetts within the top five percent of states in terms of the
severity of the heroin abuse crisis.

"We cannot in good conscience say that we should make needles more
available to heroin addicts, and we cannot say that we are sending
the right message to our kids when we make needles sold over the
counter a legal activity," said Healey.

Holyoke Police Chief Anthony Scott spoke alongside Romney and Healey
at the press conference and said that decriminalizing needle
possession would have a negative impact on public safety.

"The legislature is making it difficult for law abiding citizens to
exercise the legal right to smoke while in turn making it easier for
illegal activity to occur by giving aid and comfort to drug dealers
by making the delivery system available without a prescription, just
walking into a store. So they are making drug dealers a little bit
more richer," said Scott.

Scott's comments stood in contrast to the many criminal justice and
public safety officials who have publicly supported the bill. Most
recently at a June 22 press conference Middlesex District Attorney
Martha Coakley argued that evidence from other states suggests the
bill would have no negative impact on public safety, and Boston
Public Health Commission director John Auerbach spoke in support of
the bill on behalf of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston
police commissioner's office.

Haag said Healey and Romney's claims that the Pharmacy Access bill
will increase heroin abuse rates are groundless.

"I don't know the basis of that information but all scientific
evidence indicates that the availability of clean needles does not
lead to increased drug use. There's study after study after study
which we have given to the administration to that effect," said Haag.
"It's effectively implemented in Connecticut and Rhode Island and the
evidence would indicate that there was no increase in crime or drug use."

Healey admitted that she had not looked closely at the studies
presented by proponents of the bill.

"There's evidence that is put forward and discussed but I haven't had
a chance to look at the methodology of any of those statistical
reports, so I wouldn't want to comment on whether or not they're
compelling," Healey said. "Certainly people on the other side of this
issue do make those arguments but I haven't had a chance to look at
the methodology of those reports."