Needle-exchange pilot programs will be established in Paterson, Camden, Newark, and Atlantic City, N.J., as the state begins its first legal implementation of the anti-AIDS harm-reduction strategy aimed at IV-drug users.

The Bergen Record reported Aug. 1 that the state Health Department announced the sites as part of a program that will provide $10 million for treatment but leave financing of needle distribution up to local communities. New Jersey lawmakers recently lifted a longstanding ban on needle exchanges by approving the pilot program.

The pilot programs are expected to launch sometime this fall; up to two more cities also may be added. The programs will be required to report on participation rates, treatment referrals, and numbers of needles exchanged.