Orange County Formally Opposes Proposed Mobile Needle Exchange: ‘It’s A Failed Experiment’
The supervisors are worried about the amount of dirty needles that might result from the exchange. But the California Department of Public Health has said the needle exchange doesn’t need approval from the cities it plans to operate in. Meanwhile, San Diego sees a surge of fentanyl-related deaths.
Los Angeles Times:
Orange County Supervisors Oppose Mobile Needle Exchange Proposal
The Orange County Board of Supervisors officially opposed a proposed mobile needle exchange service Tuesday in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Orange and Costa Mesa. The supervisors’ resolution opposing the proposal — which passed 4-0 with Supervisor Shawn Nelson absent—directs the board’s clerk to submit the resolution to the California Department of Public Health. (Brazil, 6/7)
KPBS:
Deaths Surge From Fentanyl-Laced Street Drugs In San Diego County
Street drugs laced with fentanyl are becoming a deadly problem among drug users in San Diego County. The white powder substance is more potent than heroin and can be lethal even in small doses. (Murphy, 6/7)
And in other news —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Grand Jury Says San Diego Should Resume Weeding Out Abusers Of 911 System
The county grand jury says San Diego should immediately revive a program that reduced unnecessary 911 calls by using a software filter to weed out the most frequent callers: the homeless, the mentally ill and drug addicts. The program saved the city money and drew national praise from 2010 through 2016, but city officials let it expire a year ago when the federal and state grants funding it ran out. In a seven-page report released this week, the grand jury says that was a shortsighted decision the City Council should reverse Monday when it’s scheduled to adopt a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. (Garrick, 6/7)