LEWISTON — A proposed ordinance to regulate syringe service providers no longer includes a one-to-one limit on the number of needles that can be exchanged following a 4-3 council vote.
But with many other issues unresolved, council delayed consideration of the full ordinance until next month.
“We have a lot of work to do on this ordinance,” Councilor David Chittim said. “I’m mindful of the fact that it’s 10 o’clock at night. I’m mindful of the fact that we’ve been working on this effectively since November, so it’s been nearly a year in the making.”
Chittim urged fellow council members to take the time needed to fully consider all the issues. He proposed the amendment to remove the one-to-one needle exchange restriction.
“One-for-one restriction is a bunch of lay people on the city council contravening what has been a flood of best practices, medical evidence indicating that multiple needles are needed for harm reduction,” Chittim said.
While council voted to remove the proposed limit of one clean needle for one used needle, the ordinance also seeks to prohibit any syringe service providers from locating downtown, would not allow mobile syringe services and restricts the number of providers that can locate in the city.
Those issues, and questions about documentation requirements, will all be revisited Oct. 7.
As it is now, the city does not have an ordinance to regulate syringe service providers but relies on state requirements.
Just last month, the city and state shut down one of two providers in the city following an inspection that showed “thousands of used needles,” fecal matter and evidence that some people were “sleeping in the basement,” city officials said.
The driving force behind the ordinance is an increasing concern among city residents and officials about needle waste on the streets and in public parks.
Throughout Tuesday’s debate, council members and others stressed the need to find some way to get the litter off the streets, whether through increasing the number of containers for safe disposal or spending some of the city’s opioid settlement funds to find a solution.
About a dozen residents and health care providers urged council to amend the ordinance, particularly with regard to the number of needles that can be distributed to those with substance use disorder.
City resident Nichole Sparlin said restricting where providers can locate and limiting needles create barriers for those who need help.
“I think we all want to keep our community safe but that shouldn’t come at the expense of people who need harm reduction services,” she said. “They’re members of our community too and they deserve safety.”
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Gordon Smith, the state’s director of Opioid Response, warned of the potential spread of disease and a potential increase in the number of overdoses if syringes are limited in Lewiston.
Smith said statewide, overdose deaths are down 22% from a year ago. He said when the state set the limit at 100 syringes in 2021, that was a compromise.
“The actual public health authorities in the world now and at the federal CDC, recommend a needs-based exchange, no limit,” Smith said.
During council debate, three members said they wanted a limit while others said it should be up to public health officials — not local city council members — to decide what’s appropriate.
Councilor Eryn Soule-Leclair said the proposed ordinance is a starting point for addressing several needs in the city.
“I know that people keep making comments that the city shouldn’t be coming into other businesses and telling them how to run their business, but when their business is spilling out onto our streets and causing the destruction that it did, then it is our responsibility,” she said.
Soule-Leclair, Councilor Susan Longchamps, and Councilor Tim Gallant voted against removing the one-to-one limit.
Gallant said he lost a son to an overdose and proposed capping the needle limit at 10 per day and 25 on Fridays to cover weekends when the facilities are not open. He said he has a degree in drug and alcohol addiction and that it’s not uncommon for those addicted to fentanyl to use 10 needles a day.
He urged council to adopt the policy with the understanding that it could be changed in six months if it’s not working.
“We’re wrapped up around needle waste and not wrapped up around saving individuals,” he said.
Mayor Carl Sheline said a city ordinance is needed, but that he does not support a one-to-one limit.
“Overdose deaths are down over the last couple of years, and this is in large part due to harm reduction and the work that is ongoing,” he said. “I’m really concerned the if we institute a one-for-one policy here in Lewiston it’s really a step backwards.”