Salt Lake’s needle exchange program has a new home, at least temporarily.
The biweekly pop-up tent was pushed out of its normal meeting spot near The Road Home when the crime and drugs crackdown called Operation Rio Grande began in August.
The Utah Harm Reduction Coalition hands out these clean syringes for people who are addicted to heroin so they don’t spread disease. And they help get dirty needles off the streets.
Beginning today, the white tent will go up at 4th Street clinic. The organization hopes to, eventually find a permanent location.
Needle exchange programs are controversial in Utah. Some politicians and law enforcement think they enable people to continue abusing drugs. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say needle exchanges curb HIV infections significantly.