Push for Syringe Law in Calif.

California state senator Leland Yee plans to reintroduce a bill he proposed -- that was vetoed by current governor Arnold Schwarzenegger -- that would allow pharmacists to sell sterile syringes without a prescription.

Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco, is hopeful that governor-elect Jerry Brown will sign his bill -- while Brown was mayor of Oakland, his home county of Alameda authorized sterile syringe sales. According to Yee's office, overwhelming evidence shows the availability of clean syringes cuts down on the use of shared needles, and the spread of HIV and hepatitis.

"Based on a robust body of research, it is clear that Senator Yee's bill will save thousands of lives and hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars by preventing HIV and hepatitis," said Laura Thomas, deputy state director of the Drug Policy Alliance, in a press release.

California is one of only three states that don't allow the purchase of syringes without a prescription.