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Q&A
Potential negative impacts of proposed changes to syringe distribution policies
0:20:38
ยท
51 sec
Council Member Linda Lee inquires about the potential negative impacts of proposed changes to syringe distribution policies. Rebecca Linn-Walton explains the concerns raised by syringe service providers.
- Requiring participants to return all syringes could be counterproductive to safe disposal practices
- Bringing bags of used syringes could pose safety risks to individuals and others
- The goal is to provide multiple safe disposal options, including at-home disposal and local pharmacies
Linda Lee
0:20:38
Okay.
0:20:38
So I guess my question then is when you say that you support a more aggressive response to syringe litter but these changes may actually have the opposite intended impact, Can you give examples of how you could see that happening?
0:20:51
Like what do you if you could go into detail.
0:20:53
Sorry.
0:20:54
Yeah.
Rebecca Linn-Walton
0:20:54
Yeah.
0:20:55
And I'm really proud of the work we do and we talked very closely with these providers to talk through what are all the ways in which this might impact the work you do.
0:21:03
And so there's one issue of having someone be responsible for returning all of their syringes actually goes counter to what we know is that if you give someone a safe way to dispose, it could be at their local pharmacy, it could be in a container that you give them, that keeps everyone safer.
0:21:19
We don't want anyone bringing bags of used syringes anywhere where they could injure themselves or others.
0:21:26
So that was one of the things that we're concerned about.