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Syringe Access

Syringe Access

Syringe access saves lives

Syringe access programs (SAPs) are an essential public health service that provide new, sterile syringes, naloxone (brand name Narcan, the medicine that reverses an overdose), connections to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and healthcare services, and community care for people who use drugs.

New Jersey lawmakers recently modernized New Jersey’s syringe access and naloxone laws, making it possible to expand lifesaving syringe access services to every corner of the Garden State.

New Jersey's Syringe Access Law

On January 18, 2022, Governor Murphy signed the Syringe Access Bill into law. The new law, which went into effect immediately and will be followed by more detailed implementing regulations, authorizes expanded provision of harm reduction services to distribute sterile syringes and provide support services to people who use drugs.
Syringe access programs — also called Harm Reduction Centers in New Jersey — are an essential public health service that provide new, sterile syringes, naloxone (the medicine that reverses an overdose), connections to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and healthcare services, and community care forpeople who use drugs.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with access to a syringe access program are:

  • Less likely to die from an opioid-related overdose
  • Five times more likely to stop substance use that causes them problems
  • Three times more likely to stop substance use altogether
  • 50% less likely to acquire HIV or Hepatitis C
Public health experts overwhelmingly support syringe access. Syringe access is globally understood to be a best practice in public health, and is endorsed by the World Health Organization, American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and New Jersey Department of Health. Syringe access has bipartisan support nationally and is championed by current and former U.S. Surgeon Generals.
Syringe access programs are a lifeline for people who use drugs. Yet, even when local officials and health departments wanted to provide such services, they were nearly impossible to open under New Jersey’s previous restrictive and outdated law. The old law required municipal authorization for a new program to open — a barrier that does not exist for any other health care service. As a result, New Jersey only had seven syringe access programs serving a state of over nine million residents (in fewer than 1.2% of municipalities).
The new law eliminates the need for municipalities to explicitly authorize the operation of a syringe access program through ordinance. Now, New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) is solely responsible for syringe access program registration. NJDOH continues to have regulatory authorization over program operation. This means that any eligible entity (for example, a Federally Qualified Health Center or community based organization) may establish a syringe access program with approval of a registration from NJDOH in accordance with its regulations and, if appropriate, after obtaining any approvals that may be otherwise required under municipal land use regulations.
New Jersey’s Health Commissioner is charged with creating regulations that will set forth program requirements and registration processes. New Jerseyans can expect new regulations and guidance on the operations of syringe access programs to be announced by NJDOH. Once announced, there will be a period for public comment on new regulations.

Check out our “Get Syringes” resource page for updated information about New Jersey’s syringe access programs, or visit the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) site for an overview of the state’s programs.

Not in New Jersey? Here’s a national syringe service finder!

Yes. The new law states: “to the extent permitted under federal law, and subject to the requirements of federal law, notwithstanding any provision of State law to the contrary, an authorized entity may deliver harm reduction services or other related supplies, as determined by the commissioner, to consumers via postal mail or other delivery service.”

Public health best practice calls for a “buffet of options” for people who use drugs to access new, sterile syringes and other harm reduction supplies. This “buffet of options” can include mail-based services, delivery of supplies, peer-based distribution, and comprehensive drop-in centers. The new law allows for a buffet of options, explicitly authorizing mail-based and delivery services. New Jersey will join five states — California, Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Oklahoma — in providing mail-based services.

Yes. The new law authorizes the distribution of harm reduction supplies in addition to syringes, including fentanyl test strips, and enables New Jersey Department of Health to designate additional materials or equipment as harm reduction supplies.
The new law outlines that the baseline services offered by a syringe access program will include syringe access, syringe disposal, referrals to health and social services, harm reduction counseling and supplies including, but not limited to, fentanyl test strips and HIV and Hepatitis C testing.

We’ll share updates about the new syringe access law —including regulations and relevant trainings on harm reduction and drug user health — as they become available. Sign-up for email updates here. 

Interested in starting a syringe access program or integrating syringe services into an existing program? Learn more about NJHRC’s training and technical assistance support by emailing HarmReductionTA@njharmreduction.org or fill out this request form.

Printable Syringe Access Law Explainer

New Jersey's Syringe & Fentanyl Test Strip Decriminalization Law

On January 18, 2022, Governor Murphy signed the Syringe Decrim Bill into law. New Jersey’s new law, which went into effect immediately, decriminalizes use and possession of syringes and fentanyl test strips, and allows for expungement of previous convictions.

If you have questions about your rights under the syringe decriminalization law or believe that your rights have been violated, contact us at hello@njharmreduction.org or by calling/texting 1-877-4NARCAN.

Access to new, sterile syringes reduces HIV, Hepatitis C, skin infections, and associated health care costs. Criminalizing syringes makes people less likely to obtain and use new syringes. While a 2012 New Jersey law permitted buying up to ten syringes at a pharmacy without a prescription, New Jerseyans were charged over 55,000 times for syringe possession since that law passed.

Fentanyl test strips are a tool people who use drugs can use to check if there is fentanyl in their drug supply, knowledge that helps with overdose prevention and risk reduction. Prior to the Syringe Decrim Bill, fentanyl test strips could have been considered drug paraphernalia, which meant public health programs were hesitant to distribute them and people could be punished for possessing them.

The new law provides that “notwithstanding [the definition of drug paraphernalia], it shall not be unlawful for a person to use, or possess with intent to use, a hypodermic needle or syringe for personal use of a controlled substance, including when it contains residual amounts of a controlled substance.”

The legislation excludes fentanyl test strips (FTS) from the definition of drug paraphernalia in N.J.S.2C:36-1.

No, expungement is not automatic. People who believe they may be eligible for expungement under the new law should speak with an attorney for assistance. Feel free to reach out to hello@njharmreduction.org with any questions.

For purposes of seeking and being eligible for expungement, the law provides that convictions for the following are no longer considered a conviction of a crime, but rather a conviction of a disorderly persons
offense which is eligible for expungement under N.J.S.2C:52-3.

  • Unlawful distribution or dispensing of drug paraphernalia when the paraphernalia is a hypodermic syringe or needle;
  • Possession with intent to distribute or dispense drug paraphernalia when the paraphernalia is a hypodermic syringe
    or needle in violation of N.J.S.2C:36-3;
  • Manufacture with intent to distribute or dispense drug paraphernalia when the paraphernalia is a hypodermic syringe
    or needle; or
  • An equivalent crime in another jurisdiction, regardless of when it occurred.

For the purposes of seeking and being eligible for expungement, the law provides that convictions for the following are no longer considered a conviction at all:

  • Use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia in violation of N.J.S.2C:36-2 when the paraphernalia is a hypodermic syringe or needle;
  • Possession with intent to use or distribute a hypodermic syringe or needle in violation of N.J.S.2C:36-6; or
  • An equivalent crime in another jurisdiction, regardless of when it occurred.

Yes. While a person having had a previous criminal conviction expunged is often a bar to a subsequent petition for expungement, this is not the case when the petition is for expungement of records of conviction for:

  • Possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia when the paraphernalia is a hypodermic syringe or needle;
  • Possession with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia when the paraphernalia is a hypodermic syringe or needle;
  • Possession or distribution of a hypodermic syringe or needle pursuant to N.J.S.2C:36-6.

Printable Syringe & Fentanyl Test Strip Decrim Explainer

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Harm reduction is essential. A harm reduction approach to drug use is the best strategy we have to end the overdose crisis, reduce risks associated with drug use, and affirm the dignity and bodily autonomy of every New Jerseyan.

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