Needle Exchange Program

The needles are getting out of hand and I am pissed that I have to use my tax money to pay someone to clean up after illegal activity!!!!!

I'm glad this mother spoke out and told her story about her child finding a needle. It was just a matter of time before something like this surfaced. Why should the public have to experience the RISK of a users needle being dropped in their realm. The drug users should NOT be encoruaged to continue using drugs by supporting them with needles. So where do the needles go? On the gound! These are not responsible reasonable people. They need help for sure, but NOT this kind of help with being given needles. This mandate is complacent, foolish, supporting of drug use and all round dangerous for the user and the public. If this were my child (even as an adult) being given needles to support their drug abuse I would be horrified and angered knowing another help system has failed and is helping to sustain their drug abuse. What is wrong with this picture? We are in a social crisis in our society? There needs to be programs to keep people entertained and connected... not a way to do more drugs! If people are cutting themselves, will their be a program for people to safely cut themselves in a safe facility or be given knives? Come on, there's a better way and better solutions!

Something MUST be done now! BEFORE an innocent child dies!!!!

We should be looking out for the welfare of the children not helping people feed their addiction.

I had to sit down with my 6yr old to explain what dirty needles were... I thought that the community playgrounds would be safer than the down town core but they are not. The community playgrounds are dangerous too and those need to be cleaned up as well. We are far away from the downtown area and honestly you don’t expect to many needles to be in the small community parks, they are there, they are random and sometimes a little hidden. We as parents are told to allow our children to play out side to stop bubble wrapping our kids, some these parents struggle with feeling safe letting any of their children play in the back yard. As a society we have gotten better at letting our kids play, throw rocks, climb on rocks and structures, explore, run through the grass... all necessary for healthy child development. I have to sweep any area before I allow my child to do anything. It’s not safe! It is disturbing, scary and sad. I understand that giving out clean needles helps stop the spread of diseases with in a group that chooses to do drugs to help put less strain on our health care system. It is counter active when we now have to sadly take our children to the hospital for the same problems that you are trying to prevent because a small child has stepped on, randomly poked themselves etc. There is so much more to be said and this has to stop!

I found a needle in our back alley, right where people walk through with their families for school. Not enough is being done to protect families and children in this city.

stop the distribution of all the drug needles now!

This is out of hand. Something needs to be done.

There is too much freedom and not enough accountability by all involved here.

Empathy for Addicts BUT Children before Addicts.

Something has to change in Lethbridge! While it is nice that you have built a Safe Injection Site for illegal activities, you have also endangered every other citizen in the city. The Mayor & politicians need to take off the rose coloured glasses and start dealing in reality.

I too know the feeling of not knowing, my son too had to go thru extensive and years of testing, and worry, It took a toll on my son, He lived for 10 years afraid to get sick. Something has to be done, someone needs to be accountable for things like this.

Sad when I was 16 I was caught with a marajana pipe and I went to jail for a couple hours called it drug paraphernalia but now needles are OK sad

needles should not leave the safe use site

This has to stop ..

This is totally out of control.

Please let’s end this horrible mess however possible.

Something needs to be done ,stop giving needles out and letting them leave with it .if they are going to do it must be done at the site

It's appalling. Needles found all over Lethbridge are another epidemic in itself of self serving, apathetic and dangerous individuals who disregard the safety of themselves and everyone else. Needles are just as dangerous used and found unwillingly by the public as they are as the ones shooting up with them. Injection

Please hault this insanity before more innocent lives are effected.