Bill could allow needle-exchange programs to expand statewide

Florida counties could be allowed to create programs for drug users to swap dirty needles for unused ones.

The Florida Legislature is considering a bill that would expand needle-exchange programs statewide. Presently, only Miami-Dade County is authorized to operate a needle-exchange program.

State Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Sebring, said needle exchanges not only provide a gateway to treatment but also save taxpayers dollars by stopping the spread of HIV and other diseases.

“This is a hand reached out to an individual who is troubled,” said Pigman, an emergency-medicine physician. “It’s the right thing to do. It’s the moral thing to do.”

County commissions would decide whether to open a needle exchange. Leaders in Broward and Palm Beach counties want to authorize their own programs and have lobbied for the program to be expanded.

South Florida leads the nation in new HIV infections, and the region has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic.

The programs would be funded through private donations or local tax dollars. State funds could not be used to create needle-exchange programs.

In Miami Dade, about 1,000 people use the needleexchange program, which was established through the University of Miami and opened in December 2016. The program has collected more than 250,000 syringes since its creation.

Dr. Hansel Tookes, who runs the program, worked for four years to persuade state legislators to authorize the pilot program.

He said the program goes beyond swapping needles. Drug users have access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, which has resulted in more than 1,000 overdoses being reversed. People with addiction are connected with treatment.

“Our program is the front line of the opioid epidemic,” Tookes said. “We are here, and we are available to help.”

The program’s annual budget is about $700,000, but Tookes said preventing just one HIV infection saves about $400,000 in health care costs.

Although needle-exchange programs have been endorsed by public health advocates, they have been controversial. Opponents argue supplying needles encourage drug use.