BOARD DELAYS NEEDLE EXCHANGE HEARING

RIVERSIDE -- The county Board of Supervisors delayed until May a hearing on
a controversial needle exchange program for intravenous drug users to allow
the district attorney and county sheriff to attend committee meetings on the
program.

In December, the board voted to form a committee made up of District
Attorney Grover Trask, Sheriff Bob Doyle, Supervisors Bob Buster and Roy
Wilson, and representatives of the county health department to explore the
concept of a needle exchange program. The program would allow drug issuers
to exchange dirty needles for clean ones.

Buster said the committee has met only once since December. He added that,
although representatives attended on their behalf, neither Trask nor Doyle
was able to attend the meeting.

Buster said the four-month delay will allow both to attend meetings. It will
also allow the county to meet with officials from the city of San Diego --
which implemented a needle exchange program in November 2001 -- to get their
opinions on how the needle exchange program worked in San Diego and could
work in Riverside County.