Congress removes funding ban on needle exchanges
Money still restricted for syringes themselves
Congress effectively lifted the nation’s long-standing ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs, which allow intravenous drug addicts to trade dirty syringes for clean ones in the hope of preventing disease.
Themeasure was tucked into the omnibus spending package signed by President Obama last month. Though federal funds still can’t be used for the syringes themselves, they can go toward the cost- lier expenses associated with these programs, such as staff, vans, substance use counseling, referral to treatment and outreach in at-risk communities.
“We think this is fantastic news,” says Leana Wen, health commissioner in Baltimore, which has distributed more than 8 million clean syringes through a needle exchange operating for two decades. “We know needle exchanges reduce the transmission of disease. … Congress has made a critical first step in helping every state implement this evidence-based policy that has proven to save lives.”
Opponents have long argued that needle exchanges enable addicts to keep using. Congress first banned the use of federal funds for these programs in 1988, lifted the prohibition in 2009 and reinstated it in 2011. The latest change came at the suggestion of U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who ensured the language remained in the Senate version of the spending bill, their spokespeople say.
“Congressman Rogers supports efforts in Kentucky and elsewhere to mitigate the spread of devastating diseases, like HIV and (hepatitis) C, and the associated health care costs,” says Danielle Smoot, communication director for Rogers.
Under the law, she says, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will work to identify at-risk communities where federal funds can be used.
“Congress has made a critical first step in helping every state implement this evidence-based policy that has proven to save lives.”
Leana Wen, Baltimore health commissioner