Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Photo byRandy LaybourneonUnsplash

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law.

As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

The bill, HB24-1037, was sponsored by Elisabeth Epps, Chris DeGruy Kennedy, and Kevin Priola. “Section four adds an exemption to the prohibition on possessing drug paraphernalia for possession of drug paraphernalia that a person received from an approved syringe exchange program, or a program carried out by a harm reduction organization while the person was participating in the program,” according to the bill’s summary.

All of the bill’s sponsors were Democrats.

What else the bill does

The bill also:

· Excludes injuries involving the possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia from a physician's mandatory reporting requirements.

· Clarifies that the civil and criminal immunity that protects a person who acts in good faith to furnish or administer an opioid antagonist also protects a person who distributes the opioid antagonist.

· Specifies that money appropriated to the department of public health and environment to purchase non-laboratory synthetic opiate detection tests may also be used to purchase other drug testing equipment.

· Authorizes an organization operating a clean syringe exchange program to provide drug testing services through the program.

“Of course, I’m supportive of the Harm Reduction bill,” said Lisa Raville, director of Denver’s Harm Reduction Action Center, in an article by this author earlier this year. “It was heavily vetted.” Colorado Coalition for the Homeless also supports the bill.