The Lowell City Council on Nov. 25 moved to send a draft ordinance that would limit syringe distribution within 1,000 feet of schools and parks back to a subcommittee after extended public testimony and questions about public health impacts and implementation. Councilor Robinson made the motion to refer the ordinance for more discussion with the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Board of Health; councilors voted to refer the item and withdrew the ordinance from immediate consideration.

Joanne Keegan, a retired public health nursing advisor and former interim director of Lowell Health and Human Services, told the council that syringe service programs (SSPs) reduce communicable disease and provide wraparound services. "Syringe service programs work in the control of communicable diseases," Keegan said. She cited local program statistics presented to the council: two DPH-funded SSPs in Lowell collected 96,000 syringes last year and distributed 146,000, and three DPH-funded kiosks collected, by weight, 456,000 pounds of syringes.

Erin Gendron, a member of the Lowell Board of Health, urged the council to review the draft ordinance with health officials and legal counsel before acting, saying language in the current draft could force removal of existing kiosk collection points at the health department, senior center and community health center. "Part C, article 1, needles shall not be exchanged, distributed, or collected 1,000 feet from a school," Gendron said, adding that some kiosks serve people who use syringes for medical reasons such as diabetes and fertility treatment.

Several councilors said they supported restrictions around schools and parks while also seeking protections for existing brick-and-mortar SSP sites. Councilor Mercier told the council she was "not willing to move from 1,000 feet" but asked about exemptions for established programs; Councilor Robinson said, "That thousand foot buffer, in my opinion, is an absolute," while urging further conversations with DPH to refine language and oversight.

Opponents and some councilors raised concerns about discarded needles in public spaces and sought stronger collection requirements in the ordinance. Councilor Mercier proposed a requirement that participants return a used needle for each new needle they receive; public health speakers said exchange-for-exchange rules would undermine the programs' goal of bringing people into services and could reduce uptake of wraparound referrals.

Manager Golden and councilors agreed to arrange additional meetings with DPH and the Board of Health and to consider a council subcommittee or joint session to craft enforceable language that balances public-safety concerns with disease-prevention goals. The referral means the council will not vote on the ordinance as written at this meeting; the document was sent back for redrafting and further stakeholder input.

Next steps: the council directed staff to coordinate meetings with DPH and the Board of Health and return a revised draft or subcommittee recommendation to the council.