Illinois House Passes Syringe Purchasing Bill

SPRINGFIELD--The Illinois House passed landmark HIV prevention legislation today by a vote of 70 to 48, allowing adults to purchase and possess syringes without a prescription.

“This is the most significant piece of HIV prevention legislation to pass in Illinois in over a decade,” said Mark Ishaug, AIDS Foundation of Chicago executive director. “It will literally save the lives of thousands of men, women, and children.”

Seven federal reports and 40 scientific studies show that expanded access to sterile syringes prevents HIV transmission without increasing drug use.

“State lawmakers can be proud that they allowed the best available scientific evidence to inform their decisions regarding syringe policy in Illinois,” said Karen Reitan, AFC’s state affairs director.

Illinois is just one of five states that requires a prescription to purchase and possess syringes. According to the CDC, nearly 1 in 2 new HIV infections results from injection drug use or sexual contact with an injection drug user.

Senate Bill 880, sponsored by State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) and 26 others, follows the path of Connecticut, Minnesota, and several other states in repealing syringe purchasing and possession requirements as a strategy to reduce the spread of HIV, hepatitis C, and other blood-borne disease. Syringe sharing has been shown to decline in states that expand syringe availability. Every case of HIV that is prevented saves tens of thousands of dollars in healthcare costs.

Having cleared the Illinois Senate on March 24, the bill now goes to the governor for his signature.

Longtime champions of the bill--including the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the Illinois State Medical Society, the Illinois Public Health Association, the Chicago Department of Public Health, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Illinois Nurses Association, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Walgreen’s Company, and several other medical and public health groups--call on the governor to sign the bill into law.

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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is Illinois' principal advocate for people living with and at risk for HIV disease. Established in 1985 to provide central leadership in the fight against the epidemic, AFC promotes sound HIV/AIDS public policy, funds HIV/AIDS prevention and care projects, and through its Service Providers Council, helps to coordinate the delivery of essential HIV/AIDS services.