County Commissioners Weigh Needle Distribution Ban Near Schools

Two Multnomah County commissioners have proposed limiting where to allow syringe service programs that distribute sterile needles, syringes and hypodermic devices, and dispose of used ones.

The draft ordinance by Julia Brim-Edwards and Meghan Moyer asks to prohibit mobile SSPs from operating within 1,000 feet of K–12 schools. (The draft indicates a public body could make exceptions.)

The issue has been an explosive one in Portland, where parents and neighbors of schools have long said SSPs pose risks to young students.

The board is set to hear an initial briefing on the matter May 7 by state Sen. Lisa Reynolds (D-Portland). Reynolds might seem a surprising guest, given that many in Northwest Portland blame her for killing Senate Bill 1573, a statewide ban on needle distribution within 2,000 feet of schools and child care facilities, this past short session. (It died in Reynolds’ committee, though she said the bill as written did not have the votes to advance.) Reynolds’ role in the bill’s demise won her a challenge by Autumn Sharp in the Democratic primary.

Brim-Edwards says the idea for the ordinance originated with Reynolds, who asked if the two could collaborate on a bridge proposal until the Legislature could come up with a statewide ban.

“As a mom,” Brim-Edwards says, “I believe students should have a safe route to school and this is one step.”