Daviess County resolutions against needle exchange receive qualified support

Murrie has presented his case to a number of city and county groups asking them to pass resolutions opposing needle exchange programs in Daviess County.

The Indiana Legislature approved a law during the last session that allows individual counties to choose to have the needle exchange programs. The action came in response to concerns about the spread of HIV and hepatitis as a result of shared needles as heroin has become more widespread in rural Indiana.

Police and the prosecutor have all backed the resolution to not offer needle exchanges, although Daviess County has had few instances of heroin in the area.

"I feel I am obligated to do this," said Daviess County Prosecutor Murrie. "We need to say we don't want this in our county. You can't underestimate the importance of a county saying we are not going to do this. It has a real value in keeping criminals away. By doing this, we are doing the best we can not to have this problem. It's too late once it starts."

The Daviess County Council last month gave the resolution its full support. The Washington City Council also approved it Monday night, but only after adding the phrase "at this time."

"We wanted some flexibility in case of an emergency," said Washington Mayor Joe Wellman. "We don't see a needle exchange program as being in the best interest of the city. The idea is to tell people they won't be able to come to Washington and Daviess County to get their drug kits, but at one time Scott County didn't have a need for needle exchange and then they had a crisis when heroin hit the area."

One problem officials have is that they feel the needle exchange program is misnamed.

"It is a drug-kit giveaway," said Wellman. "It has everything someone would need to shoot up. We don't need that in our community."

Murrie has said that the kits contain enough items that if a police officer arrested someone with one they could make a case for possession of paraphernalia.

"The council is unanimously behind the needle exchange resolution," said Wellman. "There was no intent to take any support away from it by adding the phrase 'at this time,' but we don't know what the future holds."

"That is the right of the city council to add that language," said Murrie. "I have no issue with that at all."

The prosecutor has presented the resolution to the Daviess County Commissioners and twice it has been on their agenda, but it still has not passed. During their meeting earlier this week Commissioner Tom McCracken made a motion to accept the anti-needle exchange resolution, but President of the Commissioners Nathan Gabhart called for it to be put on the table.

"I am certainly not in favor of handing out drug kits for people to use and hand out for illegal drugs," said Gabhart. "Clearly, no one is in favor of that, but until the crises is laid out before you, who knows what you'd do. I think the resolution is short-sighted."

Gabhart says that professionally the issue is not new to him, and in the past he has declined to participate in needle exchange programs.

"As a pharmacist, our associations and the board of health always encouraged us to give out free needles and I declined because I didn't want to be a part of it," Gabhart said. "However, we have been presented with enough crises thus far that we've learned you don't know what you don't know. I don't think it's a wise decision to say we won't consider an option if a crisis does happen."

Gabhart, who has been active in the Indiana Association of County Commissioners, says he has had a chance to watch other county commissioners wrestle with the issue when IV drug use and disease comes to their communities.

"Working with the state association and watching what other counties are going through and knowing the morals they have, it must have been a last ditch effort to fix whatever is in front of them," said Gabhart. "They all had morals and values and some chose to do it and some chose not. I don't disagree with Prosecutor Murrie. I just think it is short-sighted to remove an option we may need out of desperation."

"I respect Nathan," responded Murrie. "He is a great guy. His job is different than mine and I respect that. I know I'm not alone. Other prosecutors think needle exchange is a bad idea and we believe we should have our communities limit it."

The needle exchange resolution could come back up for a vote in the future. Commissioner Michael Taylor was absent at the meeting on Tuesday, and he could cast a deciding vote.