BISMARCK, N.D. - State health officials are backing bipartisan legislation that would establish a needle-exchange program in North Dakota to help fight the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.
Republican Sen. Howard Anderson is the primary sponsor of the bill. The retired Turtle Lake pharmacist and former member of the state narcotics coalition told a legislative committee Tuesday that intravenous drug use is on the rise in North Dakota.
Anderson says allowing people to exchange used needles for sterile ones will reduce the risk of contaminated needles being shared.
Health Department HIV/AIDS Program Manager Lindsey VanderBusch says 33 states already have such programs.
VanderBusch says HIV and hepatitis C cases are increasing in North Dakota and needle-exchange programs in other states have proven effective in reducing the spread of the diseases.