We want our men and women in uniform to perform their jobs as safely as possible, without fear of contracting diseases through needle exposure. Utilizing SSPs to provide people who use drugs with access to sterile syringes with caps is a harm reduction measure that prevents accidental needlesticks. Communities with these services have reported a two-third reduction in needlestick injuries.

We want our streets, parks, and buildings to be safe places for everyone. Safe disposal programs, often offered through SSPs, are a harm reduction strategy that reduces needle litter in communities. When a person who uses drugs has a convenient and legal place to dispose of a used syringe, they are far less likely to litter the syringe.

Public safety is a priority, and we want to reduce crime in every neighborhood. Access to sterile, capped syringes through SSPs means people who use drugs don’t have to resort to stealing equipment from medical facilities or from other people who use drugs. Plus, SSPs also offer connection to treatment programs that can break the drug dependence that some people turn to criminal activity to fund.

It may seem like harm reduction, SSPs, and law enforcement have conflicting values, but we all have the same goal: to keep our communities safe and healthy. Harm reduction programs save taxpayer dollars by helping law enforcement move resources spent on overdoses and petty crime to other public safety issues. Harm reduction services also lessen the stress on our health systems by decreasing disease in our community.