North Carolina does not have legalized syringe exchange programs (SEPs) or syringes decriminalized, thus our Law Enforcement officers have a 1 in 3 chance of getting a needle-stick during their career. In North Carolina, it is not unheard of for an officer getting multiple needle-sticks in a span of a month (national rates show 28% of officers get 2 or more needle-sticks during their career). This can be prevented. In states that have a syringe exchange or where syringes are not deemed paraphernalia, law enforcement reduce their risk of needle-sticks by 66%.
Syringe decriminalization and SEPs prevent needle-sticks to law enforcement, which saves departments money. When a department does not have to pay for officer post exposure prophylaxis at a rate of $2,800 a month for 3 months (a necessity to prevent officers from getting HIV or hepatitis after a needle-stick), more money can be used for officer benefits and pay for department supplies. If this does not work and a officer gets HIV the department will have to pay around $660,000 in long term medical costs for HIV and between $80,000-120,000 for hepatitis C treatment.
A lot of officers are concerned that SEPs may encourage drug use, increase drug networks, or increase crime, however all studies have proven this to be NOT true. A recent study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) proved that it does not and in multiple cases it actually is associated with a decrease in drug use and a decrease in crime, which decreases officers chances of encounters with injection drug users. A recent case study shows that the presence of a syringe exchanges in the neighborhoods of Baltimore with SEPs experienced an 11% decrease in crime compared to those that did not which have a syringe exchange who actually experienced a increase of crime by 8%.
SEPs are a centerpiece of prevention efforts to protect the health and safety of law enforcement officers and the public by helping to reduce the transmission of Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. SEPs dramatically reduce hepatitis and HIV infection in Injection Drug Users (IDUs). Since the implementation of these programs in the late 1980s, new HIV infections among IDUs have declined overall by 80 percent. SEPs also have important health benefits for law enforcement personnel, who have responded positively to training on harm reduction and education on the legality and public health benefits of SEPs. Research has shown that accidental needle sticks to police officers have decreased significantly following the implementation of SEPs. Additionally, studies have demonstrated that SEPs make communities safer by removing used syringes from neighborhoods and research has found that these programs do not have an increase crime or drug abuse. Effectively addressing injection drug use, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS requires an effective partnership between public health providers, law enforcement, and communities.
Law Enforcement from around the state support this, for example Bob Scott, former Captain with the Macon County Sheriff’s Office quotes, “Syringe Exchange Programs (SEPs) take dirty needles off the streets and increase the safety of our police officers. SEPs save money and lives, protect law enforcement, and increase public safety. Scientific research strongly supports this policy, as do many in law enforcement. Now is the time to lift legal barriers to SEPs, get more in operation and bring them out into the open through decriminalizing syringes.”
Thus we the undersigned are asking the North Carolina Legislature to legalize syringe exchange programs and decriminalize syringes. Needlesticks to law enforcement cannot be entirely prevented, thus it is vital that we reduce them through syringe exchange and syringe decriminalization.
