JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) - This week, Missouri lawmakers discussed a controversial policy aimed at reducing the spread of disease and helping people get free from addiction. Needle exchange programs, also referred to as syringe service programs, provide clean needles to drug users who might otherwise re-use or share them. Exchanging needles is the most common way of spreading HIV person-to-person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Critics believe such programs increase drug use by removing the disincentive of danger and serving to normalize the dangerous habit. Research shows these programs lead neither to an increase in first-time drug users nor to a rise in community drug use. Studies out of Baltimore and New York City also suggest such programs do not contribute to an increase in crime. During Wednesday’s meeting of the Missouri Legislature’s Substance Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Task Force heard an update from various agency leaders on the ways their offices are fighting addiction and working to provide resources to those in recovery. The task force’s chairman, State Rep. John Black, R-Marshfield, said he doesn’t believe the state is prioritizing prevention over treatment. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Service’s HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis Bureau Chief Dustin Hampton testified that needle exchange programs often create a pathway to connecting with other resources. “As individuals are able to access those services, they are more likely to access services like substance abuse treatment, healthcare services, and other testing,” Hampton said. “As they have a welcoming place to come in, they’re more willing to try to stop using or to reduce use in order to reduce risk overall.” Chairman Black said it was an aspect of needle exchange programs he’d not yet considered. “I didn’t realize that until you start to hear the description of the problem and how that can be a more comprehensive approach to it,” Black said. Still, the Marshfield Republican added that any proposal for expanding needle exchange programs in the state would need to come with a litany of data points, specific project proposals, and a clear cost to the state. “We need as much detail as we can get,” Black said. “Because if you just leave it with the task force, without some sort of [specific] recommendation, it’s probably not going to be as targeted or as effective as it should be.” The task force is meant to inform state lawmakers on the issue of substance use disorders to help craft state policy for the next legislative session.
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Treatment Task Force heard an update from various agency leaders on the ways their offices are fighting addiction and working to provide resources to those in recovery. The task force’s chairman, State Rep. John Black, R-Marshfield, said he doesn’t believe the state is prioritizing prevention over treatment. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Service’s HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis Bureau Chief Dustin Hampton testified that needle exchange programs often create a pathway to connecting with other resources. “As individuals are able to access those services, they are more likely to access services like substance abuse treatment, healthcare services, and other testing,” Hampton said. “As they have a welcoming place to come in, they’re more willing to try to stop using or to reduce use in order to reduce risk overall.” Chairman Black said it was an aspect of needle exchange programs he’d not yet considered. “I didn’t realize that until you start to hear the description of the problem and how that can be a more comprehensive approach to it,” Black said. Still, the Marshfield Republican added that any proposal for expanding needle exchange programs in the state would need to come with a litany of data points, specific project proposals, and a clear cost to the state. “We need as much detail as we can get,” Black said. “Because if you just leave it with the task force, without some sort of [specific] recommendation, it’s probably not going to be as targeted or as effective as it should be.” The task force is meant to inform state lawmakers on the issue of substance use disorders to help craft state policy for the next legislative session.
