House Nixes Needle Exchange Proposal

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House Nixes Needle Exchange Proposal

Special Report - May 11, 2007
A provision to establish three pilot needle exchange programs in North Carolina was added to the House budget bill last week, but was removed during floor consideration amidst controversy over the proposal. The provision, which was added to HB 1473—2007 Appropriations Act by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services on May 3 at the request of Rep. Verla Insko (D-Orange), called for the implementation of three “community-based harm reduction programs as part of a comprehensive Hepatitis C and HIV disease prevention program.” The measure also directed that that state taxpayer dollars be used “to support these programs in providing access to sterile syringes, case management services, outreach, transportation, referrals for housing and medical care, and other services that will further the purpose of HIV and Hepatitis C prevention.”

On Wednesday, May 9, when HB 1473 was before the full House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Wil Neumann (R-Gaston) offered an amendment to remove the provision from the bill. The amendment was narrowly defeated on a 39-40 vote. Then when the bill reached the House floor on Thursday, May 10, Rep. Neumann was prepared to offer the amendment again to strip the controversial provision from the budget. Instead, Rep. Insko preempted Neumann’s amendment with one of her own to prohibit the community-based harm reduction programs from providing “access to sterile syringes.” The amendment also acknowledged that North Carolina General Statute 90-113.22 prohibits the possession of such drug paraphernalia with the intent to use it to take illegal drugs.

John Rustin, director of government relations for the North Carolina Family Policy Council, responded, “The State of North Carolina should not sanction the use of taxpayer dollars to provide heroine addicts, cocaine addicts and other intravenous drug users with clean needles, syringes and other drug paraphernalia. We are pleased that the House jettisoned this misguided measure from the budget, and we encourage the legislature to seek a responsible approach to treating individuals suffering from the grips of drug addiction.”