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Progressive members of the New York City Council are pushing a bill that would pay drug users in the city to return used needles as the number of discarded needles on the streets continues to rise.
The proposed law, sponsored by Vice President Diana Ayala, states that it would authorize the [Department of Health and Mental Hygiene] to establish the buyback incentive, up to 20 cents per needle, syringe or lancing device, capped at $10 per person per day,” the New York Post reported.
The legislation, if passed, would begin as a one-year pilot program that would then be evaluated by the New York City Department of Health to determine whether it would become permanent.
The bill states that the program “would only be open to people” who use the city’s overdose prevention centers (OPCs) “for drug use.”
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A member of the Department of Health’s Environmental Police collects used needles as part of a city sweep of a homeless encampment on September 22, 2022 in New York City, New York.
(Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
“The intent of the bill is to get people who use our streets and open spaces to return dirty needles (possibly to the OPC site) instead of improperly disposing of them,” Ayala wrote on Twitter. . The hearings are an opportunity to gather more information and make changes if necessary.”
Ayala’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared open to the legislation in comments from his office to the New York Post.
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Used needles are seen on the street during a citywide sweep of a homeless encampment on September 22, 2022 in New York City, New York
(. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images))
“We welcome the partnership with the Council to promote the safe disposal of syringes and address community concerns, and we will review the legislation,” his office said.
Queens GOP Councilwoman Joann Ariola told the New York Post she opposed the bill.
“It’s not going to benefit the person who is the drug addict who uses the needles,” Ariola said. “It could be harmful to the person who is collecting those needles. And who pays [twenty] cents per needle? Where does this money come from? I think the taxpayers are paying enough!” Ariola said.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at the National Press Club during a news conference on gun violence and other issues on September 13, 2022.
(Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The New York City Health Department’s environmental policing unit collected 69,692 discarded needles so far this fiscal year, more than double the number collected during the same period last year.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law in October 2021 that decriminalized the possession and sale of hypodermic needles and syringes.
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Also, last year New York City police officers were told to stand down and not arrest drug users for needles, even if they contained residue of a drug substance.
