Needle Exchange

I was down the street the other day and saw the syringe disensin van.where i used 2 live , if i needed syringes i would go 2 the nearest chemist ....take my old " sin bin "... get new packs....go home , job done..here i had 2 call a mobile number ( which if i didn't have credit and only had enough 4 my score was i bit akward) and wait around 4 a van 2 come round..sometimes they were busy and i would have 2 wait around 4 up 2 an hour. and they were only open from 13:00 to 17:00 , 5 days a week. so as i worked it was very , very awkward. i had a car which made it slightly easier but 4 those who didn't have transportit was a nightmare.especially if they were cluckin'.which then again made it thatmuch easier 2 use old pins or share" which i do not condone". where i was a bit more organised than some others i always had people knockin on my door at all times of the day askin 4 clean pins...i prefer the chemist dispensing method. although i could slightly understand that the chemists were afraid of shoplifters.. how is it done in the U.S.A. ? is it just as crap ?
Hey Herman,

Each State here in the US is different I think.

Where I come from I know there's set days and times at different locations. They don't dispense tokens though. So, ya gotta hoof it to specific areas and well like ya said if you're getting sick you ain't going to want to travel.

It's every day of the week though they have set up which is good, but again logistics is another thing.
In Ireland Herman only the cities have got xchanges ..no chemist would do it ..oh you could go in and say yer diabetic and get the 1ml.insulin sryinges....but if ya need citric or swabs you have to go to the xchange.In a city like Dublin with over 25000addicts a conservative geuss...you have several xchanges were you can drop in an get any type of spike or barrell...with swabs ,citric and even lil cookers for cooking up with proper filters...as some ciggie filters have got fibreglass in them and can damage the vein....when it comes to xchanges they are pretty well covered ...no need to be using someone elses works or using ones more than once or twice.ATB.......Davey
Herman,
In Liverpool the chemist who dispenses your methadone will give you needles a new bin citric antiseptic wipes 6 days a week when they are open cuz everyone accepts that most addicts use on top but you must be known to them personally - if you're not on a script then you can go to a clinic in the city centre and exchange. There are also a few charity, religious runs places that exchange. These days the only place you ever see needles lying about are around the prostitute zones.

k
Well there is a bit of controversy going on in the US right now as San Francisco is debating opening up a safe injection site. Apparently they currently have a needle exchange program, but it hasn't been all that successful (less of an exchange and more needles lying around all over the place). I come from small-town USA and don't know that much about needle exchanges, but am currently living in Europe and have to say that I've seen a LOT more needles lying around on this side of the ocean than the other. I live in a major city in the US and can't really say I've ever seen needles lying around (though I also don't venture into the sketchier neighborhoods), but IV drug use here in Europe (Spain) seems to be MUCH more out in the open. Not sure that I can necessarily generalize about this, as I said, I tend to stay away from the known drug neighborhoods at home, so maybe it's because I don't know my new "home" as well, but the attitude here in Europe seems to be much different.

M
I just saw that SanFran. spot on the news. Its not even in the trial phase yet. They are kicking around the idea,based on how its working in Vancouver,Canada.
They are just "dialoguing with the community"- . It would be pretty much the same deal as other places. Cubicle,nurse watching and assisting, clean needles, etc...
I dont know -the states are a whole different animal than Canada.

Well see what develops