Delaware
lawmakers approve needle exchange

The Delaware house last week voted 23-15 to approve a pilot needle-exchange program in the state; the state senate had earlier passed the measure, The [Wilmington, Del.,] News Journal reports. Delaware was one of only two states--New Jersey is the other--that did not have at least one needle-exchange program operating to help lower the chances of injection drug users sharing their needles and exposing themselves to such blood-borne diseases as HIV and hepatitis. Studies have shown that nearly half of all HIV cases in Delaware are linked to injection drug use or to having sex with drug users. Some Republicans opposed the bill, saying it would promote illegal drug use. But state senator Margaret Rose Henry, a Democrat who first proposed funding a needle exchange a decade ago, calls the bill's passage "the right thing for the people of Delaware." The five-year program will cost $315,000 in its first year, lawmakers say. Delaware governor Ruth Ann Minner says she will sign the legislation. (The Advocate)