GROUP WANTS NEW SYRINGE LAWS

Pharmacists Want To Make Them Available Without A Prescription

PEORIA - A Peoria pharmacist sits on a commission that hopes to convince
Illinois lawmakers to allow anyone to purchase hypodermic syringes from
pharmacies without a prescription.

"Illinois is one of only five states that still insists on prescriptions,"
said Mike Minesinger of Alwan Pharmacy, 311 N. Western Ave. Minesinger is
representing the views of the state pharmacists association on the
Commission on Medical Instruments that was created this spring.

The commission includes representatives from the Illinois State Medical
Society, the Illinois State Police and a variety of public health, medical
and pharmaceutical organizations. Its task is to review scientific
literature on syringe access and disease prevention, receive community
input at public hearings and issue public policy recommendations to the
General Assembly.

"In general, the pharmacist group is supporting this," Minesinger said.

In other states where such rules have been relaxed, such as Connecticut,
there has been no increase in intravenous drug use, Minesinger said.

"There has been less waste of needles because it is not criminal to dispose
of them," he said, adding that since the used needles are not lying around
in public places, the spread of hepatitis C and AIDS may be contained.

"As a parent, I would not want my kids to find needles out in the streets,"
he added.

Since 1999, the AIDS Federation of Chicago has lobbied for state
legislation to allow adults to purchase sterile syringes at pharmacies
without a prescription. According to the federation, more than 40
scientific studies have shown that access to sterile syringes effectively
prevents new HIV infections without increasing drug use.

The foundation maintains that such a move would dramatically reduce the
number of HIV infections that result from syringe sharing, including
hundreds of cases among sex partners and children of injection drug users.

Many people in Peoria who are opposed to greater access to clean needles
for injection drug users have not studied the issue in depth, Minesinger said.

"Locally, people who have not gone into the issue may be opposed to it,"
Minesinger said. "But you have to go beyond first impressions and really
study it."

Minesinger said making needles available to injection drug users is similar
to making condoms available to teenagers.

"You would prefer that everyone waited till they were married to have sex,
but you know they're doing it, so if they can at least use condoms, they
can do it in a safe way. It's a public health issue," Minesinger said.

A packet of 10 hypodermic syringes costs about $3.

"I don't think anyone in the advisory committee has formed any hard and
fast opinions yet; they're just reviewing the scientific evidence now,"
Minesinger said.

One person who questions the validity of reducing disease by allowing easy
access to syringes is Dr. John Gilligan of the Peoria-based Fayette Cos.
Its subsidiary companies, the Human Service Center and White Oaks Cos. of
Illinois, offer a methadone treatment for drug addicts.

"I am quite skeptical about its effectiveness given the fact that the
controls that have to be applied to scientifically evaluate a study are
extremely difficult to put in place," Gilligan said. Gilligan disputes
claims that needle exchange programs are effective.

"On the contrary," he said. "It seems the more needles are out there, the
more they get passed around.

"When you look at carefully controlled studies, it's very dubious, their
effectiveness. The contrary seems to be the case."

Those who support needle exchange programs point to the lack of
availability of methadone treatments. Methadone is a replacement drug
commonly used to reduce both the cravings for opiates and the potential
physical harm to users from street drugs and needles.

Testifying last week in support of easy access to hypodermic syringes was
Julie Pryde of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. She supervises
Lifeguard Harm Reduction Services in central Illinois.

Until May of this year, Beth Wehrman, a registered nurse representing
Lifeguard, operated a needle exchange program in Peoria neighborhoods. Her
car, which she would park in the area of Matthew Street and Lincoln Avenue,
was stocked with syringes, swabs, bottle caps and other paraphernalia used
to inject illegal drugs.

Wehrman distributed these items while providing other public health
services such as education, condoms, hepatitis immunizations and HIV tests.

State law prohibits the possession of hypodermic syringes but exempts those
who are engaged in "chemical, clinical, pharmaceutical or other scientific
research." Wehrman would turn over the used needles to a private
organization, Chicago Recovery Alliance, which can collect them in exchange
for new ones under the auspices of a public health research program.

Under pressure from neighborhood groups, the Peoria City Council outlawed
the needle exchange program, which it said should be carried out only
within the confines of a nonresidential building.

After that ordinance was passed, Lifeguard representatives met with city
and county representatives to locate potential building sites to continue
providing clean needles to about 80 local intravenous drug users. The
intent is to reduce the spread of AIDS and hepatitis.

"We're still working within the confines of the law," Pryde said. "We
haven't found anybody yet who will give us the space to operate."

Wehrman said she goes wherever she is contacted, either by telephone or the
Lifeguard Web site.

"I continue to work with program participants, attempting to meet their
harm reduction needs, albeit within a less than ideal or supportive
environment," Wehrman said. "Yes, services are still being provided," she
said without elaboration.

Wehrman said she approached two businesses, neither of which were
interested in providing space once a week for harm reduction services.
Other program participants also have been unsuccessful in securing space,
she said.

Kate Van Beek, spokeswoman for the Peoria City/County Health Department,
said the health department has not been contacted by either Pryde or Wehrman.

"We just assumed that since we have no funding for this and since Julie's
office did, they'd be following up on this," Van Beek said. "We have just
been serving as a collaborator."

Peoria County State's Attorney Kevin Lyons had strongly advised the health
department staff not to get involved in the syringe exchange program.