New Jersey’s Syringe Decriminalization Law On January 18, 2022, Governor Murphy signed the Syringe Decrim Bill (S3493) into law. New Jersey’s new law, which went into effect immediately, decriminalizes use and possession of syringes and fentanyl test strips, and allows for expungement of previous convictions.
Why is decriminalization of syringes important for public health and wellbeing? Access to new, sterile syringes reduces HIV, Hepatitis C, skin infections, and associated health care costs. Criminalizing syringes makes people less likely to obtain and use new syringes. While a 2012 New Jersey law permitted buying up to ten syringes at a pharmacy without a prescription, New Jerseyans were charged over 55,000 times for syringe possession since that law passed.
New Jersey continued to punish people for syringe possession despite a 2012 law allowing for legal purchase of syringes at pharmacies. Between 2012 and the passage of the Syringe Decrim Bill, New Jerseyans were charged
55,000 TIMES FOR SYRINGE POSSESSION If you have questions about your rights under the syringe decriminalization law or believe that your rights have been violated, contact hello@njharmreduction.org
Why is decriminalization of fentanyl test strips important for public health and wellbeing? Fentanyl test strips are a tool people who use drugs can use to check if there is fentanyl in their drug supply, knowledge that helps with overdose prevention and risk reduction. Prior to the Syringe Decrim Bill, fentanyl test strips could have been considered drug paraphernalia, which meant public health programs were hesitant to distribute them and people could be punished for possessing them.
How does the new law treat syringes? The new law provides that “notwithstanding [the definition of drug paraphernalia], it shall not be unlawful for a person to use, or possess with intent to use, a hypodermic needle or syringe for personal use of a controlled substance, including when it contains residual amounts of a controlled substance.”