CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Although the Kanawha County Commission does not have the power to decide the immediate future of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department’s needle exchange program, the commission raised concerns at its meeting Thursday about the increase of needles in Charleston.
A bill introduced in Charleston City Council would criminalize the possession of syringes and needles for drug use. The bill, supported by Charleston Police Chief Steve Cooper, will be taken up by the council’s Finance Committee at its March 19 meeting.
The Kanawha County Commission originally supported the program financially.
Health department officials have said the program is needed to reduce the threat of diseases such as Hepatitis B and HIV, but Cooper has argued the number of needles in public places has increased exponentially, creating a risk for police officers, city employees and the general public.
The health department announced Wednesday anyone receiving needles had to be present and identification would also be required.
Carper said the state of the needle program in Charleston is concerning, but he was not going to attack the health department.
“Somewhere, there ought to be a consensus built,” he said. “Just saying we’re trying to help people, we’ve got that.”
Health department officials told the commission they have distributed 634,000 needles so far.
Carper said there are questions about where the needle users are coming from as well as if the health department is doing enough to keep needles out of public spaces.
“The amount of needles that have been handed out in this small community is indeed staggering,” he said. “Now the question is, and they didn’t have the answer, are these local folks? Are these people really coming from out of state, out of county and out of city? I suspect they are. That’s one question I’ve got.”
The Charleston City Council could vote on the bill affecting the needle exchange following the March 19 Finance Committee meeting.