The City of St. John's is installing special boxes around town where drug users can safely dispose needles, in response to the increasing reports of drug paraphernalia being found scattered about in public areas.

"It's all over the city and it's persistent. We know that the opioid crisis is a very serious issue in every community in St. John's," Coun. Hope Jamieson told the St. John's Morning Show.

That's why the city partnered with other groups for a harm-reduction strategy that ultimately led to the plan to install the boxes, known as sharps containers.

Coun. Hope Jaimeson has been heavily involved in the City of St. John's harm reduction initiative which includes the effort to install used needle boxes. (Paula Gale/CBC)

The city has already installed two kiosk-style boxes in the Quidi Vidi Lake and Tessier Place areas, which the city determined through consultation with community groups and its own records as experiencing high volume of dirty needles littered around.

"At the Quidi Vidi location in particular we were seeing things like pop bottles full of needles dropped, and so that's where the larger kiosk model is useful," Jamieson said. "Because if people don't have access to somewhere to bring their sharps they can drive up, drop it in the kiosk and it's very discreet."

20 smaller sharps boxes like the one seen in this file photo will also be installed around town. (Twitter/BiomedRecovery)

In addition to the two large boxes, there will also be 20 smaller birdhouse-sized ones placed around the city on light poles and other infrastructure.

Jamieson said once they're installed, the city will release a map that shows where all of the disposal boxes are located.

City staff will regularly check the boxes and remove the contents to be incinerated, just as it does with needles reported to be found in public places.

Boxes a symptom, not a cause, of epidemic: Jamieson

Even though there may be some who argue installing sharps boxes encourages drug use, Jamieson said the boxes are a symptom of the opioid crisis, not the cause.

She said after countless reports of needles found on the ground, especially in places like school playgrounds, the city listened loud and clear and took action to make the community safe.

Tessier Place is one of two neighbourhoods in St. John's that has a large disposal box installed. The other is the Quidi Vidi Lake area. (Gary Locke/CBC)

"The opioid crisis is here, and what it is most important for us to do is to make it possible for the community to remain safe," she said.

"So for users themselves we need to give them easy access to a way to safely dispose of sharps, and for the community we need to make it possible for them to not be adversely affected by sharps in the community."

Gerard Yetman, executive director of the AIDS Committee of N.L., said the new boxes are necessary given the increase in drug use in the past few years.

"Five years ago we were giving out 300,000 needles a year, this year we hit a million needles."



Now, he says the primary objective of the needle exchange boxes is safety.



"When we look at these boxes, this is for reducing harms in our society, particularly children."

They're also helpful for educating the public about drug use and what's out there.



"I think when people are educated, we're in a position to make better choices."



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