US Congress lifts funding ban for needle exchange programs

Friday Jan 8th, 2016

The U.S. Congress has quitely lifted the federal funding ban on needle exchange programs after more than a quarter century the programs went into effect. The needle exchange programs provide clean needles, allowing intravenous drug addicts to trade dirty syringes for clean ones to prevent to help combat HIV.

The partial repeal passed by Congress in late December, spearheaded by House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers and backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, both from Kentucky. The decision is also supported by West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito who is on the Appropriations Committee, Buzzfeed reported.

Read more at: http://www.lawyerherald.com/articles/26077/20160108/us-congress-lifts-fu...

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