Syringe Decriminalization Advocacy in Red States: Lessons from the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition

Purpose of Review Syringe access programs (SAPs) are cornerstone harm reduction interventions for combatting the national opioid epidemic. The goal of this paper is to describe effective advocacy strategies for enacting syringe decriminalization legislation to foster the expansion of SAPs in high-ne...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current HIV/AIDS reports 2018-06, Vol.15 (3), p.276-282
Main Authors: Cloud, David H., Castillo, Tessie, Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lauren, Dubey, Manisha, Childs, Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Criminal Law
Decriminalization
Disease transmission
Drug Overdose - epidemiology
Drug Overdose - prevention & control
Harm Reduction
Hepatitis C - epidemiology
Hepatitis C - prevention & control
HIV
HIV Infections - epidemiology
HIV Infections - prevention & control
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Law Enforcement
Legislation
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Needle-Exchange Programs - legislation & jurisprudence
Needle-Exchange Programs - methods
North Carolina - epidemiology
Opioids
Political Systems
Public Health
Section Editor
Substance Abuse, Intravenous - therapy
Syringes
The Global Epidemic (SH Vermund
Topical Collection on The Global Epidemic
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Summary:Purpose of Review Syringe access programs (SAPs) are cornerstone harm reduction interventions for combatting the national opioid epidemic. The goal of this paper is to describe effective advocacy strategies for enacting syringe decriminalization legislation to foster the expansion of SAPs in high-need areas amidst political opposition. Recent Findings Decades or research shows that SAPs prevent the transmission of HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID) and are a cost-effective tool for linking PWID to medical care, health education, and social services. In the USA, state laws criminalizing distribution and possession of syringes impede the expansion of SAPs into areas where they are sorely needed. Summary In 2016, North Carolina became the first state to legalize SAPs with a Republican super majority. This paper distills strategies for community organizations seeking to advance syringe decriminalization legislation in politically conservative states with histories of prioritizing punitive sanctions over public health responses to drug use.
ISSN:1548-3568
1548-3576
DOI:10.1007/s11904-018-0397-9