TAMPER-PROOF DROP BOXES CONSIDERED

The state Department of Health is looking for more ways people can safely
dispose of needles.

It is ordering a half-dozen drop boxes in which users of injection drugs -
both legal and illegal - can deposit used syringes.

The first batch will be installed in public health offices in Albuquerque
and Las Cruces, probably within a month, according to Don Torres, section
head for HIV/AIDS/hepatitis programs with the department.

The final number may reach two dozen, and the department is negotiating
with the city of Albuquerque for places to locate some of those, he said.

Although medical centers have safe ways to dispose of needles, no avenues
exist to dispose of needles used at home, Torres said. People with
diabetes, for example, who use needles to inject insulin, generally toss
those needles out with their household trash, he said.

"That's not safe for city garbage workers or anyone going through the
trash," he said. Drop boxes have been tried successfully in the city of
Baltimore and state of Connecticut, he said. Those programs used
refurbished mail boxes that were placed on street corners.

The Department of Health is purchasing tamper-proof boxes specifically
manufactured for needle disposal, he said.

The department is also working with pharmacies, where people can purchase
syringes, in order to provide safe, disposable containers for them, he
said. In addition, Albuquerque Parks and Recreation employees are getting
special disposal packs and training in how to safely handle discarded
needles, Torres said.