Health
Local politics may prevent needle exchanges in Newark, N.J.
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Local politics may prevent needle exchanges in Newark, N.J.
Local politics may prevent needle exchanges in Newark, N.J.
Local politics and the vocal opposition of one detractor may prevent Newark, N.J., the state's largest city, from implementing a needle-exchange program under a law enacted by former governor James McGreevey, The Star-Ledger of Newark reports. The law allows up to three New Jersey cities to launch needle-exchange programs to help prevent HIV and hepatitis infections among injection drug users; Atlantic City and Camden already have pilot programs in place. Newark would seem an obvious choice for the third city because of its size, a rampant drug problem, and the second-highest HIV-related mortality rate of any city in the nation. But Newark deputy mayor Ronald Rice, who is also a state senator, is vehemently opposed to needle exchanges and has pledged to block any effort to launch a program in Newark. "I will go to hell before I ever support anything like that. They will never get my vote," he told The Star-Ledger.