Syringe Exchane Bill as it reads. Have any imput?

I think that it needs to be a lot more comprehensive this population has been stigmatized, discriminated against, and ignored for decades if not the whole century. The drug laws where not about people's health and wellbeing they were all founded on racism and I am not sure that this legacy of racism has ever gone away.

 

HB 735 | SB 808

An act relating to a needle and syringe exchange program; amending s. 381.0038, F.S.; authorizing the Department of Health to establish a needle and syringe exchange program; providing criteria for the program; providing that the distribution of needles and syringes under the program is not a violation of the Florida Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act or any other law; providing conditions under which a program staff member or participant may be prosecuted; providing for severability; providing an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

Section 1. Subsection (4) is added to section 381.0038, Florida Statutes, to read:

381.0038 Education; needle and syringe exchange program.— The Department of Health shall establish a program to educate the public about the threat of acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

(4) The department may establish a program offering the free exchange of clean, unused needles and hypodermic syringes for used needles and hypodermic syringes as a means to prevent the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), AIDS, and other blood-borne diseases among intravenous drug users.

(a) The needle and syringe exchange program must meet the following criteria:

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.

1. The program shall provide for maximum security of exchange sites and equipment, including an accounting of the number of needles and syringes in use, the number of needles and syringes in storage, and any other measure that may be required to control the use and dispersal of sterile needles and syringes.

2. The program shall strive for a one-to-one exchange, whereby the participant shall receive one sterile needle and syringe unit in exchange for each used one.

3. The department shall make available educational materials, HIV counseling and testing, and referral services targeted to education regarding HIV/AIDS transmission and drug use prevention and treatment.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the possession, distribution, or exchange of needles or syringes as part of a needle and syringe exchange program established by the department is not a violation of any part of chapter 893 or any other law.

(c) A needle and syringe exchange program staff member or participant is not immune from criminal prosecution for:

1. The possession of needles or syringes that are not a part of the exchange program; or

2. Redistribution of needles or syringes in any form.

Section 2. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the act which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this act are severable.

Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013

Websites Associated with NEW FLORIDA's Syringe Exchange

This is the Federal Fund provider bill full text of 111th CONGRESS H. R. 179, Janurar 6, 2009 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr179/text

This is an announcement from the State of Florida on SB 808 and HB 735
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Handlers/LeagisDocumentRetriever.ashx?Leaf=housecontent/HouseMinorityOffice/Lists/Latest%20News/Attachments/16/needle%20exchange%20program%20press%20release.pdf&Area=House

This is the schedule of the committes in it visited and the member of the committes.
http://mfhmobile.net/Bill/BillDetail/0735


This is an important website name Florida Needles Exchange Initiative
http://cleanneedlescleanflorida.com/index.html

Surviving Over dose.

 

 

This is a YouTube video from Recovery Alliance. The amount of over dose in Florida is extremely high and dangerous. With the soon passing of Senate Bill 808 and House of Representative 735



These bills are sponsor by our Sen. Gwen Margolis, the House of Representative sponsors by Mark Pafford. This Naloxone will become part of the syringe exchange program.

 



 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6NVeA7aSC0

 



 

 

                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNMXA_-eY8g

 

What's Wrong With Addiction Treatment in America?

What's Wrong With Addiction Treatment in America?

From Dr. Mark Willenbring MD Substace Matter. http://mattsub.blogspot.com

 

 

Since Jane Brody quoted me in her column in the New York Times, I've been inundated with calls, emails and other inquiries. Here are some themes, impressions and stories that help illustrate the gaps and barriers to receiving up to date, consumer-friendly, addiction treatment.

1. "He's been through treatment program after treatment program. None of them worked! And we still don't really feel he's had a good evaluation or any continuity of treatment."

This has been a very consistent experience reported by families of someone with an addictive disorder. There is a profound sense of being out there alone, in sharp contrast to having a relative with colon cancer. There is a great sense of fragmentation of care, as well as inconsistent opinions and recommendations. Because "programs" are arbitrarily time-limited, they have no ongoing responsibility of the care of their patients, unlike other medical specialities. How would you like it if your oncologist only saw you for 8 weeks, and then treatment ended? And once "the program" has ended, there is no care, no one to help you manage an out-of-control situation. And it's worse when "the program" is in a distant location. What is learned in an artificial, low-stress environment and now access to alcohol or drugs does not translate well when you get back home. The stacks of bills, the crying baby, the leaking roof, and the liquor store around the corner make it pretty difficult. Addiction is best treated like other disorders, with people living in their own communities, learning how to stay sober there, with everything that's going on.

2. "I (or my loved one) is in (or about to begin) a treatment program for drug X. But they don't seem to have the kind of treatments you talk about. Where can I get that kind of treatment?"

Many people I talk to are trying to figure out what type of treatment or treatment facility is going to be best for their particular problem. And they don't know where to get reliable information. Much of the information, practices and pronouncements are not supported by scientific studies, but that doesn't stop treatment programs from asserting them anyway. So the marketplace is confusing, not unlike walking through a market with each vendor hawking her wares. Testimonials and outrageous claims abound! Literally fantastic outcomes are assured! That's right! Step right up and submit your payment now! You won't be sorry! We promised 100% success if you do exactly as we tell you and you really want to succeed!

(So if you fail... well...it's your fault. Sorry.)

We need an ethic of professionalism in addiction treatment that at least reduces that type of selling of services. We need to embrace an ethic of adhering to scientific findings, and changing our beliefs when the facts change. We need to foster the humility to care, even though our treatments are only partially effective, and in some cases totally ineffective. We can't abandon our patients because we cannot change the course of their illness. Do you really think they want to die? They don't! But they and we are helpless in the face of their brain dysregulation. As is true with so many human ailments: cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, arthritis, multiple sclerosis. As our understanding of these diseases advances, through scientific research, our tools for preventing and treating them will improve. But it will cost a lot and take a long time. But our only hope is to support it. Research on addictions and their treatment.

Fresh NEWS in Florida SB 808 and HR735

I received the news from the Florida Medical Association:

The Florida Medical Association on the syringe exchange legislation proposed for the 2013 legislation session. The bills are HB 735 by Rep. Mark Pafford and SB 808 by Sen. Gwen Margolis. At this point, session officially begins next Tuesday. The House and Senate bills received their committees of reference last week. Unfortunately, both received 4 committee assignments each which isn’t a great sign but not totally unsuspected either. The main hurdle at this point is getting the bills heard in their first committees of reference.

Email Gwen Margolis margolis.gwen.web@flsenate.gov
and  Mark Pafford http://flhouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/emailrepresentative.aspx?MemberId=4435&SessionId=64

Thanks them let them know that substance use treatment requires quality assurance like expected of all other medical services.


My response:

I have a grave concern, which I would like to see how it can be incoporated in the bill. That is need for quality assurance. It is unfortunately but substantial number of professionals in social science has been ignoring both ethics and appropriate medical protocol and best practice. Often taking upon them to create policies and practices that is inconsistent with the best interest of their clients or patients, mostly for their own convenience.

As you may know by now, that has been a great concern of late Dave Purchase who just passed away, and numerous professionals associated with the harm reduction practice. We are all very concern to assure scientifically based practices which has been ignored by the Substance Use Disorder treatment community. This professionals seem to think that they do not need to follow the same scientific standards expect of all other medical fields. You might have received from NASEN documents associated with science and best practice. If you do not have them, I can provide them to you as they have given me the courtesy of sending me copies.

As you might know, syringe exchange will only but one service. This could be the opening to health system to a disfranchised population that we have been everything but ignoring, discriminate, stigmatized and even acted with bigotry. I assert that this manner of acting toward these individuals is consistent with racism.  Perhaps this is the reason that we are not making much head way with appropriate treatment of this population.

I am concern for patient’s safety and rights, and to tell you the truth neither the State of Florida Depatment of Children and Family who are suppose to license the facilities nor the treatment  facilities seem to be joyfully oblivious to the needs of this type of patients. Their professional behavior is more consistent with self-preservation and convenience than patient’s needs.

What we call substance abuse residential "treatment" today is only so by long term declaration, and is not supported by quantitative empirical research. As far as I Know it is neither effective and I suspect (without any data) that it causes relapse and possibly other bad habit. I like to avoid stating patients safety and syringe exchange program by people who have political and funding sources but not the require appropriate medical skills to provide quality assurance work. Unfortunately, having an education and a license is not guaranteeing it.

I also have copies of a draft of a bill that is being worked in North Carolina. As far as I can tell me and
have been the only two underground clean syringe programs in South Florida and doing our best at providing safe syringe and information.

I will look for the bills and see what suggestion or respond further.

In Memoriam: Dave Purchase, Needle Exchange Pioneer

From Stop theWar.org  http://stopthedrugwar.org/

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2013/feb/21/memoriam_dave_purchase_needle_ex

Needle exchange pioneer Dave Purchase died last month in Tacoma, Washington, where he had long resided and where he began handing out sterile syringes to prevent the spread of AIDS among intravenous drug users back in the summer of 1998. Purchase died on January 21 of complications from pneumonia. He was 73.

Dave Purchase

Purchase is widely cited as having started the first needle exchange in the country, although that is difficult to verify.


While the most dominant treatment use in the United States is a violation of the 1st Amendment of

the constitution as 7 court cases concluded that the 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous is substantially religious. Fact is that there is no scientific support for the 12 Step programs that are so forcefully pushed on patients with an extremely low rate of "recovery".

Comparably, syringe exchange program makes a point of evidence based on science, and Dave Purchase have created protocols and best practice documentation to run these programs. Unfortunately some of this Syringe Exchange programs are not all together scientifically base and make their policies and regulations and treatment protocols basically on capriccios speculations. Harm Reduction have put their nose to the grind where science is concern. They will make mistakes, but will take correction when needed. That is one of the signs of good science, another is bending themselves backwards proving themselves wrong.

'Good Samaritan' Laws Could Help Overdose Victims—If Only People Knew They Existed

'Good Samaritan' Laws Could Help Overdose Victims—If Only People Knew They Existed

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/good-samaritan-laws-could-help-overdose-victims-if-only-people-knew-they-existed/263850/


I Have yet to see one newspaper or a Television or radio station mentioning this new law where they exist. People are being informed by word of mouth and people are still hessitent. We really need to get the media on the ball to save some lives.

In New York and other states, drug users are supposed to be granted immunity when they call 911 to save their friends' lives. But the police and the public have yet to get the message.