(SACRAMENTO, CA) –Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation yesterday authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, to help prevent syringe sharing, a leading cause for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, by allowing adults to purchase an unlimited number of syringes at pharmacies without a prescription.
“It has taken many years to win this fight but California will finally start treating syringe access as a public health issue,” said Ting. "We dithered while the rest of the nation aggressively expanded access to save lives and tax dollars. That makes this victory both exciting and overdue. This is a landmark reform for California.”