Brewer, Maine City Council Votes Unanimously to Ban Needle Exchange Programs
BREWER, Penobscot County, Maine — The Brewer City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 28 to ban syringe service programs from the city limits, whether through fixed or mobile locations, after a packed public meeting at which residents raised concerns about discarded needles, public drug use, and the cost of additional police patrols.
Mayor Jenn Morin said in a statement that it was important to let residents voice their opinions because council members were elected to represent residents and "we have a responsibility to listen and take those concerns seriously." "Residents are concerned about discarded needles, public drug use, and feeling safe in the places where their families live and play. Those concerns deserve action," she said.
Morin said that while she believes syringe service programs have good intentions, that does not remove the responsibility to recognize what is happening in communities that support them. "People struggling with addiction deserve a path forward, and our residents deserve to feel safe in their community. We have a responsibility to both."
Source: GSM·USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Brewer ME.JPG（CC BY-SA 3.0，Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: Brewer ME.JPG (CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
