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Syringe Access
On January 1, 2005, Senate Bill 1159 was signed into law. This legislation is designed to prevent the spread of HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-borne diseases among injection drug users (IDUs), public safety workers and the general public. On September 27, 2005, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors authorized the Department of Health Services (SCDHS) to implement a local Disease Prevention Demonstration Project, allowing pharmacies to furnish or sell hypodermic needles and syringes without a prescription as permitted under State law (SB1159). Several pharmacies located throughout Sonoma County are registered with the health department and may sell 10 hypodermic needles or syringes, to a person 18 years or older without a prescription. The pharmacy also provides consumers a household sharps container with every ten syringes purchased. Pharmacies must store hypodermic needles and syringes so that they are available only to authorized personnel. Individuals bring the used syringes back to the pharmacy in the approved sharps container. A licensed medical waste hauler collects the containers regularly from the pharmacy for disposal out of county. This project allows adults access to clean syringes and provides a method for safe disposal of syringes. For more information regarding pharmacy registration or medical waste please contact Marty Isom 707-565-6568 or by email: misom@sonoma-county.org Under the law, the State Department of Health Services is required to evaluate the impacts of the legislation and submit a report to the Governor and Legislature by January 15, 2010. It is now unlawful to discard or dispose of a hypodermic needle or syringe upon the grounds of a playground, beach, park, or any public or private elementary, vocational, junior high, or high school. Registered pharmacies can provide the purchaser with written information or verbal counseling on all of the following: how to access drug treatment; how to access testing and treatment for HIV and hepatitis C; and how to safely dispose of sharps waste. For more information regarding the Disease Prevention Demonstration Project please contact Ellen Swedberg at 707-565-6683 or by email: eswedber@sonoma-county.org. Information and Resources
Links
Sonoma County Pharmacies currently registered
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