For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke - 213.201.1525
EMAIL:jburke@apla.org
AIDS PROJECT LOS ANGELES
APPLAUDS GOVERNOR’S
SIGNING OF SB 1159
Move Will Bring California In Line With 45 States Allowing Pharmacy Sale of Syringes
Los Angeles, CA, September 20, 2004 – AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) today praised Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing SB 1159, a bill allowing local governments to authorize pharmacies to sell up to ten syringes to an adult without a prescription in order to reduce the rates of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.
Current California law prevents purchase or possession of a syringe without a prescription and can impose professional and criminal sanctions on pharmacists who would provide syringes to known drug users.
“We are pleased that the governor recognizes that providing sterile syringes reduces the rates of disease without increasing drug use or crime,” said Craig E. Thompson, Executive Director. “With more than 1,000 new HIV infections and 3,000 hepatitis C infections occurring among Californians who inject drugs each year, we can no longer allow narrow-minded thinking to trump science.”
The bill makes it a criminal act to improperly dispose of used syringes in certain public places and requires that pharmacies provide a way for consumers to safely dispose of used syringes. First introduced in 1999, the bill was originally authored by Senator John Vasconcellos.
The governor vetoed bill AB 2871, which would have expanded access to sterile syringes by eliminating the requirement that cities and counties authorize needle exchange programs by declaring a local health emergency every two or three weeks.
“We can hope that the governor considers eliminating this requirement in the future,” Thompson said. “’For now, we look forward to working with advocates to apply this sound legislation across the state, and we hope municipalities will see its virtues and enact it broadly.”
AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Founded by four friends in 1982, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.
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