Rep. Katie Edwards is hoping the fourth time’s the charm for a needle exchange pilot program in south Florida. The Sunrise Democrat is sponsoring the measure in next year’s legislative session.
Edwards says Florida’s work against pill mills cut down on the supply of opioid drugs in the state, but it did little to tamp down demand. She says with fewer pills, some addicts have turned to heroin, and her pilot program could help them get clean and avoid dangerous diseases.
“It’s a one-for-one clean needle exchange,” Edwards says. “And again it’s to treat those addicts who voluntarily recognize I have a problem, I want to seek help and treatment, and it’s a way for us to educate the public and see if this in fact does work and if it will prevent not only the use of heroin but also the share of dirty needles that then lead to these types of illnesses.”
Similar efforts have failed in recent years, but Edwards says the state can no longer ignore rising infection rates.
“I believe that this year will be different though because of the experiences from different counties,” she says. “We’ve had Sarasota County, for example, on the west coast of Florida—they’ve experienced a significant number of heroin overdoses and also of HIV infection rates.
The bill would establish a pilot program through the University of Miami for five years.
