MANCHESTER, N.H. – During their Dec. 3, 2025 meeting, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) Committee on Bills ordained an ordinance amendment that would restrict the number of syringes a person can obtain from a syringe service program.
In October 2024, the BMA approved a new ordinance placing limitations on syringe service programs, also known as SSPs or needle exchanges. Prior to the BMA’s Dec. 3 meeting, the BMA Committee on Second Reading took up an amendment to that policy that would limit individuals using needle exchanges to get only one needle for every needle to give back.
Under the existing ordinance, there is no set limit for needles that can be received by individuals who return needles to exchanges. At the passage of the ordinance in October 2024, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said that the policy could be updated to include one-to-one needle limitations for SSPs if data showed that it was appropriate.
Currently, there are only two public SSPs registered with the city, and one of them is registered as limited to only individuals with HIV or AIDS and must be registered with Dartmouth Health. Ward 4 Alderwoman Christine Fajardo asked Manchester Health Department officials why the proposed ordinance amendment excluded healthcare providers from the one-to-one limits on SSPs. She also expressed concern with the vagueness of the wording being added in the new proposal.
Manchester Health Department Director Anna Thomas did not directly answer the question, but indicated that SSPs using clinicians were easier to track and that SSPs are currently on “the honor system” for their practices related to needle distribution outside of spot inspections by the Health Department.
Fajardo noted that there have been 24,000 more needles given away than taken in over the past two years and asked if the Health Department had any benchmarks for success. Manchester Health Department Assistant Director Phil Alexakos said that the goal was to ultimately take in more needles than are given away and also seek a reduction in communicable diseases spread through needles. He added that the city has authority to issue a legal summons for any SSPs not following city ordinance.
Thomas noted that health departments across the country use various approaches regarding the question of intake/output ratios for needles and that Manchester could modify its policy later and also stated that legislators in Concord are considering giving more control to municipalities regarding SSPs, which could aid Manchester’s ability to optimize health outcomes from local SSPs. However, she added the city likely could not completely eliminate needles given their ready access for purchase online and the possibility that individuals from Manchester could go to SSPs in nearby areas that do not have a one-to-one needle exchange policy and bring back those needles.
There is an expectation of quarterly data updates according to Thomas, adding that the Manchester Department of Public Works reported fewer littered needles following the passage of the October 2024 ordinance. Alderman At-Large Joseph Kelly Levasseur requested that the Health Department track littered needles in their data, adding that the needles were acquired by people from all walks of life.
The committee recommended the amendment and requested a suspension of the rules to request a vote from the full BMA on the recommendation report later that evening at the full BMA meeting, with the committee approving that motion. Once the proposal made it to the full board, Levasseur made a motion to suspend the board’s rules and ordain the amendment. This motion was passed via a non-unanimous voice vote.