The Sanford City Council is planning to vote Tuesday on an emergency ordinance to restrict the number of clean needles that can be distributed by public health organizations.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services allows syringe programs to provide up to 100 sterile needles for every used needle a participant brings in.
But the Maine Monitor reports the Sanford city manager and city council are concerned about the high number of dirty syringes which have been discarded in the town.
The emergency ordinance would last for 91 days if enacted and would limit the needle exchange rate to 1-for-1 in Sanford.
The Portland City Council rejected the same exchange rate after it was proposed by Mayor Mark Dion last month.
Many health providers support the much higher 100-for-1 rate, saying it effectively keeps communities from experiencing outbreaks of ailments such as HIV and Hepatitis C.
The Department of Health and Human Services policy to allow the 100-for-1 rate was adopted in 2020 after Gov. Janet Mills suspended a state rule limiting the exchange to 1-for-1.
