PORT TOWNSEND — The number of drug addicts using Jefferson County’s syringe program grew to 70 in 2008, but the number of syringes exchanged declined by more than 3,000, county Public Health officials report.

Figures released by Public Health on Thursday show that 65 addicts participated in the syringe exchange program in 2007, five less than last year, and that the number of syringes exchanged fell from 24,585 in 2007 to 21,130 in 2008.

This leads county public health officials to conclude that designated people are exchanging syringes for other addicts, they said.

“Of the 70 client visits to [the program] in 2008, all but three and one unknown reported exchanging needles for others,” the program’s annual report said.

The report was presented to the Jefferson County Board of Health on Thursday.

The program started in 2000 with 14 participants bringing in used syringes to exchange them for sterile syringes. That year, 506 syringes were exchanged.

Reduce disease

“They are proven to reduce public disease transmission,” said Tom Locke, health officer for Jefferson and Clallam counties.

“It’s only for exchange. You have to bring in the syringe to exchange it.

He said the program “trumps” state laws banning the possession of drug paraphernalia. It targets prevention of spreading HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as hepatitis A, B, and C.

Fresh syringes are given with no questions asked.

Jean Baldwin, Jefferson County Public Health director, said the exchange allows face-to-face interaction between drug addicts and public health representatives who make information available to addicts, about 10 percent of whom are persuaded to seek drug treatment.

Clients are informed of two free programs that began in mid-2008 and are continuing this year: hepatitis C testing and counseling and hepatitis A and B immunization.

Syringe exchange clinic hours are from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday at county Public Health, 515 Sheridan St., Port Townsend.

Drop-in exchanges are also accepted by public health nurses trained in the program from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the same location.

Syringes are exchanged using special boxes for safe handling. Locke said most plastic bottles sealed with caps can be used as containers to safely handle syringes.

Locke said there were 156 syringe exchange programs in the U.S., 15 percent of which are in Washington state.

Baldwin said that the largest number of participants in the county program live in Port Townsend.

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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.