Gov. Matt Meyer isn’t ready to say whether he’ll sign a bill that expands Delaware’s harm reduction efforts.
The measure made waves in Legislative Hall over the last month, with extensive pushback during floor debate from Senate and House rRpublicans.
If Meyer signs the bill, it would put Delaware’s Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health at the helm of a framework to license and regulate harm reduction programs that partner with the state.
But initiatives that received more focus ask the state's partners in overdose prevention providers to provide sterile supplies to people. Those supplies are defined as objects used for injecting, or otherwise introducing substances into the body.
The bill also seeks to decriminalize possession of drug paraphernalia.
State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky (R-Millsboro) said while the state's seen data to back up its needle exchange programs and narcan, but he doesn't think those results will transfer to what SB 249 asks of its partners.
"Whenever we expand without knowing, then I think we expand the opportunity for bad outcomes to occur," he said.
House Republicans asked for it to be implemented as a pilot program first.
But advocates and democratic representatives backing the bill say it will keep people alive long enough to seek treatment.
Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris (D-Dover) said reputable health organizations support decriminalizing paraphernalia.
"The needle exchange conversation is the same conversation here," Harris said. "It's just adding to what it is to prevent diseases, keep people alive, to get them to rehab."
Gov. Meyer said on Ask Gov. Meyer Thursday he’s still looking at the measure, but he's not opposed to a pilot program.
"That idea of saying, 'hey, wait a second, this might be too much too fast, let's run some time-limited pilot," he said, "I'm open to looking."
Meyer said there is "substantial research on this" but he doesn't "go signing bills until (he's) read every word."
The bill passed the General Assembly Tuesday. Meyer has 10 days once the bill is officially sent to him to make his decision.
