The New Jersey Legislature on Dec. 11 ended a long-running debate among state leaders about the merits of needle exchange programs by adopting legislation that will allow the programs to be established in six cities. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has vowed to sign the bill into law quickly.

The Star-Ledger reported Dec. 12 that the state Senate passed the needle exchange bill (Senate Bill 494) on a 23-16 vote, while the state Assembly vote in favor of the bill was by a 49-27 margin. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the communities of Camden, Atlantic City and Paterson each have expressed interest in hosting a pilot needle exchange effort to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS among intravenous drug users.

State health officials applauded legislators' vote, which concluded 13 years of bitter debate about research findings on needle exchange and the effects such programs have on individuals and communities. New Jersey is the only state in the country in which drug users have no access to clean needles, through either a doctor's prescription or a community-based needle exchange program.

Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred Jacobs hailed "a great day for public health in New Jersey" and emphasized the legislation's inclusion of $10 million for drug treatment services. Atlantic City health officer Ron Cash said his city already has in place a local ordinance allowing for the establishment of a needle exchange program.

"We've tried education, counseling," Cash said. "We just want this as a tool to fight the disease."    

Supporters of the legislation hope needle exchange will make a difference in a state that ranks fifth nationally in the number of HIV/AIDS cases and first in infection rates among women.

"The silver lining on this taking so long in New Jersey was the remarkably high level of public education that happened along the way," Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, told Join Together. "People increasingly realized that needle exchange doesn't just reduce HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases without increasing drug abuse; it also offers a non-coercive means of nudging people into treatment and a more responsible lifestyle."