"More than 400,000 needles are handed out each month in San Francisco alone, and this year the city is on track to hand out close to 6 million syringes, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Of the 400,000 needles distributed monthly, officials estimate that about 246,000 come back to the 13 syringe access and disposal sites. By that count, roughly 154,000 needles are unaccounted for each month. “When clean needles are available, there is less sharing, less disease transmission, and the discarded needles are less likely to be infectious,” Rachael Kagan, a health department spokeswoman, told The Chronicle."
I guess I was in favor of needle programs until now. At this point, I’d have to say that needles should not be allowed to leave the building they’re handed out in. Ever. Sorry, but these events aren’t ok. At this point, leaving a needle on a Bart seat is the same as “sharing a needle.” If needles weren’t easy to come by, people wouldn’t leave them lying around and would only “share” among other addicts. I’d rather see an addict infected than my family or other innocent people.
I didn’t realize SF had so many diabetics. Oh wait, it has so many drug addicts. I wonder how many different people account for the 400,000 needles. It’s crazy SF enables tens of thousands if not over 100,000 people to blatantly break the law.
Yeah, trust a bunch of people high on drugs to keep track of needles after using them and return them. What can possibly go wrong with the plan? They don’t even put food trash is the trash can next to the picnic table.
They should be forced to provide dirty needles to exchange. In fact five for ever new one. Then the needles would disappear. Personally I would load the new needles with a hot load. Drug problem and homeless problem solved…
I’m with elt1 on this one. If you’re that desperate for a high, you’ll keep track of your needle. You don’t see them leaving their drugs behind on BART multiple times a week.
Drug addicts are the real zombies. They are already dead and want to drag the rest of us down with them.
As long as SF coddles and encourages them, they will destroy the whole city. The are a menace and need to be dealt with like triage. Incarceration, treatment or banishment. They should not be allowed to live on the cities streets. Unfortunately most can not be helped and will live short miserable lives.
Diabetes is not the issue. Heroine is …maybe it would be best to inject them in a clinical setting. No needles just the drug. Personally I would give them as much as they want. Put them out of their misery.