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  • NSADD Moderators: deficiT | Jen

Harm Reduction 2021 US Needle Exchange and Syringe Access Thread

deficiT

deficiT

Sr. Moderator: NSADD, DC, & TDS
Staff member
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Mar 7, 2011
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I wanted to make a thread to discuss syringe access in various states and different stores. What are your experiences trying to get syringes in your state? Some states still require a prescription, and some stores will require that you provide proof of insulin medication. Here is a link discussing different states laws, it is 2 years old but it looks more or less correct. Feel free to put any links to needle exchanges you know of in the thread.

I also wanted to remind people that it's perfectly legal to buy syringes online, and amazon and other health warehouses sell them. You can really get as many clean, fresh rigs as you want, so there's no excuse to be using the same rigs over and over. If you're going to inject, do it as safely as you can!
 
US Needle Exchange and Harm Reduction Resources Master List

Resources gathered using North America Syringe Exchange Network

National Harm Reduction Coalition
FInd Naloxone, Find Syringes Nationwide

Alabama
Next Distro - HR Resources
Needle Exchanges Illegal in the state
Syringes are criminalized and not sold without prescription

Alaska
Needle Exchanges (2) - Fairbanks, Anchorage

Arizona
Needle Exchanges (4) 1 Phoenix, 3 Tucson

Arkansas
HR Resources
Needle Exchanges not technically prohibited, but syringes still considered paraphernalia

California
Needle Exchanges (47)
Syringes not considered paraphernalia
Authorized exchanges can provide free naloxone and test kits

Colorado
Needle Exchanges (9)
Syringe possession still considered paraphernalia

Connecticut
Needle Exchanges 8

Delaware
Needle Exchange (1) Wilmington

Florida
Needle Exchange (1) Miami

Georgia
Needle Exchanges (3) Atlanta

Hawaii
Needle Exchange (1) Honolulu

Idaho
Needle Exchange/HR Resource (1) Boise

Illinois
Needle Exchanges (7)

Indiana
Needle Exchanges (7)

Iowa
HR Resources
Needle Exchanges prohibited

Kansas
HR Resources
No needle exchanges

Kentucky
Needle Exchanges (40)

Louisiana
Needle Exchanges (3) Baton Rouge, New Orleans

Maine
Needle Exchanges (4) Augusta, Bangor, Ellsworth, Portland

Maryland
Needle Exchange (1) Baltimore

Massachusetts
Needle Exchanges (10)

Michigan
Needle Exchanges (4) Grand Rapids, Flint, Detroit, Ypsilanti

Minnesota
Needle Exchanges (10)

Mississippi
HR Resources
Needle Exchanges prohibited

Missouri
HR Resources
Needle Exchanges prohibited

Montana
Needle Exchanges (3) Missoula, Poplar

Nebraska
HR Resources
Needle Exchanges prohibited

Nevada
Needle Exchange (1) Las Vegas

New Hampshire
Needle Exchanges (6)

New Jersey
Needle Exchanges (5)

New Mexico
Needle Exchanges (33)

New York
Needle Exchanges (23)
New York Harm Reduction Educators:
NYHRE - East Harlem Program: 104 -106 E 126th St #1A, New York, NY 10035
Washington Heights Corner Project: 500 W 180th St, New York, NY 10033
Phone Number: +1 (212)-923-7600
Services provided include overdose prevention, safe injection, needle exchange, counseling, and training.

North Carolina
Needle Exchanges (3) Asheville, Greensboro, Roxboro

North Dakota
HR Resources

Ohio
Needle Exchanges (19) - 21 counties

Oklahoma
HR Resources
Needle Exchanges prohibited

Oregon
Needle Exchanges (11)

Pennsylvania
HR Resources
Needle Exchanges prohibited

Rhode Island
Needle Exchange (1) Providence

South Carolina
HR Resources

South Dakota
NextDistro HR Resources
Needle Exchanges prohibited

Tennessee
Needle Exchanges (2) Memphis, Nashville

Texas
HR Resources
Needle Exchanges prohibited

Utah
Needle Exchanges (4) Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Wasatch

Vermont
Needle Exchanges (4) Burlington, St Jonsbury, White River Junction

Virginia
HR Resources

Washington State
Needle Exchanges (22)

Washington D.C.
Needle Exchanges

West Virginia
HR Resources

Wisconsin
Needle Exchanges (12)

Wyoming
HR Resources
Needles Exchanges prohibited


TDS US HR Orgs (2020)

Global HR Workshop Org List (2013)
 
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US list is up and complete!

Please feel free to comment if you have any harm reduction groups near you and would like me to add them.
 
In states where pharmacists refuse to sell you syringes and no needle exchange program, farm supply stores have syringes with needles of various gauges that can be a life saver
 
Zephyn said:
In states where pharmacists refuse to sell you syringes and no needle exchange program, farm supply stores have syringes with needles of various gauges that can be a life saver
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Yes very good. Also I'd like to emphasize that buying them online is both affordable and legal. Just be wary about carrying them out with you, especially if they have residue, as that is a paraphernalia charge in a majority of states
 
deficiT said:
I also wanted to remind people that it's perfectly legal to buy syringes online,
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wait this is a thing? I’m not IV for a minute but the clinic near me is defunded as of Jan. 1st 2022 & I always go in for people that are paranoid or embarrassed. Online would be 10/10 easier but the delay would for sure be an issue for the IV user.
 
noddedallwayup said:
wait this is a thing? I’m not IV for a minute but the clinic near me is defunded as of Jan. 1st 2022 & I always go in for people that are paranoid or embarrassed. Online would be 10/10 easier but the delay would for sure be an issue for the IV user.
Click to expand...
You can get them in just a couple days. It might suck to wait, but you remove all the hassle that goes with trying to get them from the store. I no longer IV, but having the ability to get fresh rigs online in a couple days was a game changer. You just have to plan ahead of time. If you're a regular IV user, you've probably got another means to get rigs in the days while you're waiting. But once you get them, you're good.
 
In Indiana it is a class 6 felony to possess hypodermic syringes without a medical reason. I live across the river in Kentucky and was over the bridge in Indiana and am fighting this charge currently.

The arresting officer, a state police officer, gave zero fucks about my Kentucky needle exchange card, even though they have a needle exchange too, and basically told me to stay in Kentucky. What a Dick!

I never thought I'd be fighting a felony in another state for something that is completely legal in my own state.

I got busted and my apartment searched in ky once and they took all my research chemicals and smoking apparatus but left my box of a hundred syringes.
 
Wow I thought all long as you carried the card and the rig wasn’t loaded you couldn’t get busted for it anywhere? Sorry to hear about your trouble man I hope it all works out. I just fought a felony charge (another one) in KY and just got a year diversion and my charges were a lot worse than yours so hopefully they just drop that bullshit don’t plead guilty make them {box it up} in other words spend a lot of time and money on such a simple charge.
 
Balissa said:
Wow I thought all long as you carried the card and the rig wasn’t loaded you couldn’t get busted for it anywhere? Sorry to hear about your trouble man I hope it all works out. I just fought a felony charge (another one) in KY and just got a year diversion and my charges were a lot worse than yours so hopefully they just drop that bullshit don’t plead guilty make them {box it up} in other words spend a lot of time and money on such a simple charge.
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Mostly because of covid the charge is almost two years old now. I've also been to rehab since then and have documentation.

I'm really hoping they'll do something for me. Their last offer was for me to go to a year long recovery program and I told them to stuff it since I have an apartment and at the time I had a job.

Fuck Indiana. I'm not aware of any other state that fucks over drug users more. I went to a methadone clinic in Indiana once and met this dude who helped me score some h. That's kind of a long story, but the short takeaway was I witnessed him and two other people all share a third of a shot from the same needle.

I was shocked!!! I'd never seen three people draw back blood into the same syringe and then inject a third of it before. They told me they paid $20 for that single syringe a week ago and were all three still using it!! Gross!!

In ky $20 easily gets you a box of a hundred at the pharmacy. I was like "why the fuck don't you drive across the bridge and buy needles?"

They have had some huge HIV outbreaks, too. Which finally led to some needle exchanges opening.

Fucked up state IMO.
 
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simstim said:
Mostly because of covid the charge is almost two years old now. I've also been to rehab since then and have documentation.

I'm really hoping they'll do something for me. Their last offer was for me to go to a year long recovery program and I told them to stuff it since I have an apartment and at the time I had a job.

Fuck Indiana. I'm not aware of any other state that fucks over drug users more. I went to a methadone clinic in Indiana once and met this dude who helped me score some h. That's kind of a long story, but the short takeaway was I witnessed him and two other people all share a third of a shot from the same needle.

I was shocked!!! I'd never seen three people draw back blood into the same syringe and then inject a third of it before. They told me they paid $20 for that single syringe a week ago and were all three still using it!! Gross!!

In ky $20 easily gets you a box of a hundred at the pharmacy. I was like "why the fuck don't you drive across the bridge and buy needles?"

They have had some huge HIV outbreaks, too. Which finally led to some needle exchanges opening.

Fucked up state IMO.
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Damn that really is fucked up 20 bucks for one syringe Indiana really is asking for an HIV or Hep C epidemic I’ve never seen anyone share like that I mean how hard would it be to at least wait and clean the damn thing out instead of shooting someone’s blood don’t get me wrong I’m a needle junkie and have been since I was 18 but I’ve never done anything of that caliber.. Kentucky finally has one thing we’re doing right and that’s having the most needle exchange programs in the US and they also made it where pharmacies must sell insulin syringes to anyone that’s got 1.27 cents for a bag of 10 no ID nothing documented and our cases of new HIV and hepatitis have went down tremendously.. now if we finally get weed legalized we would be making more progress we don’t even have medical marijuana legal yet and getting caught with a bag of weed will still land you in county.. hope everything went well with your court case man and you’re doing okay
 
Disclaimer: Bluelight.org does not necessarily endorse or condemn any of the organizations listed. This list is intended to spread awareness of the services available for harm reduction and education purposes.

This list is a work in progress. Please feel free to reply with resources and information for organizations and services throughout North & South America and the rest of the world. Any experiences you have with listed services/organizations and response times, costs, benefits/concerns, etc. that you experienced would also be appreciated.
Canada List:
(work in progress, please feel free to reply with resources for Canada and elsewhere)

Nationwide:
GetYourDrugsTested.com - Free Canada-wide mail-in drug checking (more info below)
Contact [email protected] for mailing address​
Where to get free naloxone kits in your province/territory

British Columbia:
Get Your Drugs Tested - Vancouver
FREE Drug Checking, Harm Reduction Supplies (Syringes, Naloxone, Fentanyl Strips, Snacks, Tampons/Pads, First-Aid, etc.), Training, & Snacks
880 East Hastings St, Vancouver (Contact [email protected] for mailing address)
Test Results Database
NOTES: Excellent service with friendly, knowledgeable staff. Result latency varies based on postal speed. They usually give percentages of each substance in a sample, including pill filler/sugar/other inactive cuts. Can test samples in the form of powder, pills, and blotters. Liquid testing only for GHB/GBL. All results are posted online anonymously.

Vancouver Coastal Health - Vancouver & Surrounding Area
FREE Drug Checking, Fentanyl Test Strips, Needle Exchange, Supervised Consumption Sites
Drug Checking Locations
Needle Exchange Locations
Supervised Consumption Sites

Toward The Heart - Province-Wide
Location Finder for Free Naloxone Kits, Needles/Injection Supplies, Safe Sex & Drug Use Supplies, & Overdose Prevention/Safe Consumption Sites

Ontario:
OHRDP Safe Injection Site/Needle Exchange Supplies/CTS Map
Toronto Drug Checking Service
FREE Drug Checking, Harm Reduction Supplies (Syrings, Naloxone Kits, Masks, etc.) & Supervised Consumption @ 5 Locations
NOTES: Excellent service with friendly, knowledgeable staff. Results generally take 3-4 business days but may take 2-5. Sometimes mix up samples when giving multiple. Can test powder, blotters, crushed pills, and paraphernalia. Lysergamides tested via reagent, cannot GC/LC-MS test liquids (possible exception for GHB?). %s not usually provided. Must call/visit in-person to obtain results.
Naloxone Kit Location Finder - Province Wide
Free Naloxone kits at hundreds of pharmacies, harm reduction/safe injection sites, and other locations throughout the province.
NOTES: No prescription or OHIP card required. Most but not all pharmacies carry naloxone kits. Community organizations generally seem to have naloxone kits with much further out expiry dates than pharmacies.

EU:
Wedinos - Wales, UK
FREE mail-in drug checking, appears to be available to at anyone in the UK.
Printable Sample & Effect Record
Pick-Up Sample & Effects Package
NOTES: Excellent service, small university-based lab. Quantifies drug presence as a major or minor portion of the sample rather than %s. Not sure if samples from outside the UK are accepted, but I doubt it as this is a small lab that is already servicing an entire country.

CheckIt! - Vienna, Austria
FREE drug checking at HQ and specific pharmacies. They also offer free online/telephone legal, personal, and health advice on anything related to substance use.

SaferParty - Zurich, Switzerland
Free drug checking with obligatory phone registration and anonymous counseling interview.

More EU test labs: https://bluelight.org/xf/threads/wedinos-information-and-hr-resources.904992/

Reagent Test Vendors:
DanceSafe - USA -> WW
North American non-profit harm reduction organization selling reagent test kits and fentanyl test strips (Free shipping for the latter).
Available reagents as of January 2022 include Marquis, Mandelin, Mecke, Ehrlich, Folin, Simon, Froehde, Morris, and Liebermann. Select products are available at certain retailers throughout North America. Educational posters, drug info cards, and other products are also available. Proceeds for most merchandise (clothing, blotter art, etc.) on the DanceSafe online store goes towards supporting DanceSafe's harm reduction and education missions.

TestKitPlus - Canada -> dozens of countries WW (Country List)
Another well-known, reputable test kit vendor selling fentanyl test strips and various reagents. As of January 2022, these include Marquis, Mandelin, Mecke, Ehrlich, Hoffman, 'GHB test kit', 'Benzo test kit', Liebermann, Froehde, Folin, and Simon reagents. Cocaine purity test kits, cocaine cutting agent test kits, MDMA purity test kits, and heroin purity test kits are also available. Some products are available at select local Canadian retailers.
 
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In the state of Georgia if go into a pharmacy and ask for syringes that usually want to see some sort of prescription. If you ask for allergy syringes they will sell them to you without any questions. The only difference is insulin syringes have a orange cap and allergy syringes have a gray cap.
 
arrall said:
Canada List:
(work in progress, please feel free to reply with resources for Canada and elsewhere)
Click to expand...
This is great work ar!! Really happy to have your contributions here, and keep it up! I have slacked on adding anything to my list as well, so if you come up with anything new, let me know and I'll add stuff in there.
 
deficiT said:
This is great work ar!! Really happy to have your contributions here, and keep it up! I have slacked on adding anything to my list as well, so if you come up with anything new, let me know and I'll add stuff in there.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Only thing to add to the US list is that I found out that California also provides free naloxone + fentanyl test strips.
 
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