Fresno Bee Editorial Endorses California Bill Allowing Over-the-Counter Sale of Hypodermic Syringes
The California Medical Association, the California Nurses Association and the California Pharmacists Association have all "wisely" endorsed a bill (SB 1785) pending in the state Legislature that would allow people over the age of 18 to buy up to 30 syringes at a time without a prescription, the Fresno Bee states in an editorial lending its support to the bill. "There is no benefit" to requiring adults to obtain a prescription for syringes, the Bee states, adding that a lack of prescription needles is "no deterrent" to drug users, who will "just share needles," possibly spreading diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, if clean syringes are not available. California is one of six states that require prescriptions for syringes, the Bee notes, concluding, "It's a law that is a prescription for the continued spread of disease, and the Legislature should dump it" (Fresno Bee, 6/4).
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