A law that allows local governments to permit drug stores to sell syringes over-the-counter is set to expire. A bill that would extend the law for eight more years is moving through the state legislature.
Since the law was passed in 2004, 15 counties including Los Angeles and Santa Barbara have taken advantage of it.
San Diego County has not. That means adults in San Diego can't buy syringes without a prescription.
Glenn Backes is a consultant with the California Hepatitis Alliance. He says allowing broader access to clean needles makes sense.
"And what we know from every other U.S. state and most of the industrialized world," Backes says, "You let people buy syringes, they're less likely to share them, they're less likely to get HIV, they're less likely to get hepatitis."
A state report on the soon-to-expire law says it hasn't resulted in increased drug use or crime. The measure to extend the law is pending in the state senate.
