July 2016 State Laws Related to Access to Clean Needles and Syringes

Creating and implementing certain kinds of laws can be used to achieve public health objectives. Public health laws aimed at reducing infectious disease transmission risks among persons who inject drugs (PWID) are one component of an effective strategy to address increasing incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in the United States. CDC assessed three types of policies related to access to clean needles and syringes for PWID that were considered state law in July 2016: (1) authorization of syringe exchange programs; (2) retail sale of needles and syringes to persons who inject drugs, and; (3) exemption of syringes and needles from the definition of drug paraphernalia. The legal data was extracted from the legal database WestlawNext between May and July 2016. More information on the methods used to obtain and interpret these legal data can be found in the MMWR report, State HCV Incidence and Policies Related to HCV Preventive and Treatment Services for Persons Who Inject Drugs — United States, 2015–2016.

State Maps which indicate where a state or DC law exists that:

• Authorizes syringe exchange statewide
• Allows the retail sale of syringes and needles to PWID
• Exempts syringes and needles from the definition of drug paraphernalia