MANCHESTER, NH – On Tuesday, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) Committee on Public Safety, Health and Traffic will hear a request from Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais regarding syringe service programs (SSPs) and needle disposal.
Ruais is requesting that the committee review a proposed ordinance related to SSPs and improperly disposed needles, a problem that drew a significant discussion among the BMA in August.
The ordinance would address the fact that while SSPs are allowed operate in municipalities per state law, but is lacking in parameters on how municipalities can regulate the SSPs within their own borders.
In 2021, the BMA amended Chapter 96.06 of the Manchester Code of Ordinances to prohibit SSPs from city parks and since that time it had been believed by some of the Aldermen that they were also not allowed to operate within 1,000 feet of a school. That buffer would become confirmed in the proposal along with a 1,000-foot buffer from any churches, libraries, daycare centers, parks or playgrounds.
SSPs would also have to have a primary office approved by the Health Department and mobile SSPs would require approval before operating on any public property.
Other requirements for SSPs in the proposed ordinance change include the prohibition of safe injection sites, and a requirement that any new needles given to SSP participants be given only after they return used needles.