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Manchester has made history by becoming the first city in New Hampshire to pass an ordinance regulating syringe service programs. These programs, which provide clean needles, safe disposal options, and harm reduction resources for people who use injection drugs, are now required to register with the city. The new ordinance also limits where mobile exchanges can operate and mandates the sharing of more detailed data with city officials.
The ordinance was introduced by Mayor Jay Ruais with the aim of reducing the number of used needles in the city. Manchester’s Public Health Director, Anna Thomas, voiced strong support for the measure, emphasizing the role of syringe service programs in reducing overdoses and fatalities. Thomas highlighted how these programs have contributed to a 25% reduction in overdoses and a 44% reduction in fatalities over the past two years. She explained that the success of these initiatives is rooted in trust, with the clean needles serving as an initial step toward helping people make healthier decisions.
Statewide, syringe service programs were authorized in 2017 by the state legislature. They must register annually with the Department of Health and Human Services and report on their activities quarterly. Currently, two registered programs operate in Manchester: the Merrimack Valley Assistance Program and the Queen City Exchange, part of the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition.
Lauren McGinley, leader of the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition, expressed confidence that her group’s mobile exchange can continue to operate effectively within the new limits on location. She acknowledged the importance of considering location as part of being a responsible neighbor in the community.
One notable change to the ordinance is the removal of the one-to-one exchange requirement. While some aldermen supported the idea of exchanging one used needle for one new one, citing concerns about the number of needles in the city, the final version of the ordinance dropped this requirement. Advocates like Kerry Nolte, associate professor at the University of New Hampshire and co-founder of the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition, argued that programs actually help decrease publicly discarded syringes by encouraging safer practices. Nolte explained that the goal is to promote the use of one syringe per injection, reducing the transmission of diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C.
While the ordinance has seen community support, Ruais described it as an “iterative process” and noted that future revisions could be made based on new data, such as findings from a study on the use of public biohazard containers for needles in nearby Dover.