New Jersey Gov. John Corzine has signed a bill establishing six pilot needle-exchange programs in cities like Camden and Atlantic City, the Press of Atlantic City reported Dec. 20.

The new law makes New Jersey the last U.S. state to legalize needle-exchange programs to prevent the spread of HIV and other diseases among injection-drug users, who often share dirty needles. "This is long overdue," Corzine said. "Quite simply, this bill will save lives."

Local advocates have been asking state lawmakers to legalize needle-exchange programs for the last 15 years. Shared needles remains the leading cause of HIV infection in New Jersey, unlike most other states. "We lead the nation in so many categories of HIV and AIDS cases, yet it took so long to get this done," said New Jersey Assistant Health Commissioner Laurence Ganges. "To me, that's the story. Think about the lives that clearly have been lost. But now that we have this, the work really starts."

Local communities must still approve the pilot programs.