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  • NSADD Moderators: tryptakid

2011: No More Buying Needles in LA County. Now What??

2

2A03

Greenlighter
Joined
Jan 9, 2011
Messages
8
For the last few years (well, I just found out in January last year) in LA County, you could go to any pharmacy and purchase a pack of 10 needles OTC (usually for $3 for generic or $4-something for name-brand). SWIM's veins are a bit smaller and has a really hard time hitting with 28 gauge which is normally what's given out at needle exchanges. Being able to not deal with Needle Exchange hours, not having to try and discreetly visit a van beneath a bridge or by a freeway offramp, and able to buy any gauge of any brand during pharmacy hours from a normal business front was a godsend.
I bought a pack right before New Years' Eve and got home to find they gave me 28's instead of 29's. I called to see if I could return them (unopened) after New Years' to be told that it's illegal to sell them now.

Has this affected anyone else? Any thoughts on the law change?
I don't think the law was hurting anyone at all and definitely helping in the harm reduction department as it enabled a user to be able to actually dispose needles after using them once (maybe twice) instead of waiting until they get barbed or too dull to pierce skin without a jab to switch.

Also... does this have an effect on Needle Exchange Programs here? I haven't even begun to research it yet... (just dug out old rigs that were going to be thrown away... -_- )
 
does this have an effect on Needle Exchange Programs here
Click to expand...

Depends if the needle exchanges are legal. If they weren't legal to begin with they might be hesitant to hand them out as openly with the new laws, that's only speculation. If they were recognized by the county and had all the right permits I'm sure it won't effect them at all, besides getting more government funding due to more people needing needles.
Before there was legit needle exchanges in NJ they had a van that a local non profit AIDS group ran. Once needle exchanges were more accessibility there efforts moved elsewhere.
 
Why would yóu use swin and then a sentence later say " I bought a pack on new years"?

That's why we don't use swim cause idiots can't keep their stories straight
 
OK, so now you know that we don't use SWIM here. Pool rules. Never mind the idiot part, your question is a good question.

Apparently, the pilot program DPDP (Disease Prevention Demonstration Project), which allowed for purchase of 10 non-prescription syringes, ran through December 31, 2010.

I have a couple of links I'm looking through to find your answer, but I'm strapped for time and have to return to this thread when I get back home. In the mean time, I found that Schwarzenegger had extended the program through 2018, but that's all I know right now. Apparently, purchase without a prescription is still allowed but depends on the county in which you live.

http://www.syringeaccess.com/index.htm (Most important link. Provides overview of the SB1159 Program. Your answer can probably be found on this site.)

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/AIDS/Pages/OASyringeAccess.aspx

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/aids/Documents/LEGAB1701Ltr110110.pdf

More later…

This .pdf: http://www.syringeaccess.com/docs/pharm_sale_syringes_ca.pdf

states that the pilot program DPDP was slated to end on December 31, 2010, at which point an assessment would be made in January 2011, with results supposedly to be released within that month. Let's hope they can stick to that timeline. [edit: Read further, found better information.]

That .pdf is good reading and brief. It also contains contact info inviting people to ask questions or seek further clarification.

I found this description of new laws 2011 at the website of the Santa Barbara Independent. According to the description, AB1701 simply deletes the end date of Dec. 31, 2010 and extends it to 2018. So the pharmacist you spoke to was ignorant or lying. Here's the text of the new law AB1701:

AB 1701, Hypodermic needles and syringes — Existing law regulates the sale, possession, and disposal of hypodermic needles and syringes. Under existing law, a prescription is generally required to purchase a hypodermic needle or syringe for human use, except to

administer adrenaline or insulin. Existing law, until December 31, 2010, authorizes a city or county to authorize a licensed pharmacist to sell or furnish 10 or fewer hypodermic needles or syringes to a person for human use without a prescription if the pharmacy is registered with a local health department in the Disease Prevention Demonstration Project. Existing law prohibits the possession and sale of drug paraphernalia, but until December 31, 2010, allows a person, if authorized by a city or county, to possess 10 or fewer hypodermic needles or syringes if acquired through an authorized source.

This bill would delete the December 31, 2010, end dates for these authorizations and would reestablish these authorizations until December 31, 2018.

tl;dr The law was extended to 2018, so the pharmacist you spoke to was ignorant or lying. I hope you find some of this information helpful.

In the meantime, I'd try a different pharmacy. Or you can use the internet (gpzservices, etc) or a NX. I didn't read up on NX's regarding new laws so I don't know what the deal is there.
 
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Thank you so much for your answer! And I apologize for not knowing the protocol here, I just joined up tonight. Your answer was incredibly helpful. I'm gonna check with another pharmacy in the morning. TBH, the one that turned me down is the closer one to my house which has always given me grief and the stinkeye whenever I have bought needles there. There's a much cooler one just another exit away, I'll check there and bring that up in case they try and give me the same spiel.

Although I notice your post mentioned you checked in Santa Barbara, and I usually go to a pharmacy in the San Fernando Valley which is in LA County. I'll do some googling in the AM before I call, just wanted to say thanks for your reply, and sorry again.

And as to the why SWIM and why I in the next line, not be cause I can't keep a story straight, but because there's nothing wrong with buying needles in a pharmacy. But thanks for the heads up on you guys not using that here. Was just being cautious.
 
Damn $3 to $4 for a 10 pack of rigs!! Damn they are less than $2 here for 10, and there are no such thing as generic needles, only different companys making them. No one has a patent on the syringe as far as I know, unless it's a special type they have come out with recently. It's much cheaper here to buy a box of 100 insulin syringes. Or you can order them easily online if you want to do that.
 
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