Ex-AG Opposes Indiana Syringe Program Extension
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill criticized the state’s syringe exchange program during a recent podcast interview, arguing that the initiative fails to curb drug overdoses and sends the wrong message about illegal drug use as lawmakers consider extending the program for another decade.
Hill made the comments while appearing on a podcast hosted by Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, as Republican Sen. Michael Crider has introduced legislation that would extend Indiana’s syringe exchange program through 2036.
The program, first launched under former Gov. Mike Pence during a southern Indiana HIV outbreak, lets local health departments give clean needles to people who inject drugs to help prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis C.
Hill, who was attorney general from 2017 to 2021, said he opposed the policy while in office and often disagreed with former Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration over keeping it in place.
“The suggestion was that if you give people clean needles, that somehow dissipates the problem,” Hill said on the podcast. “I pointed out that’s not true. If you take a dirty needle away and give them a clean needle, they’re still injecting this stuff into their system, still subject to overdose.”
Hill argued that while syringe exchanges may reduce disease transmission, they do not address overdoses and may worsen the overall drug problem by involving the state in what he described as enabling dangerous behavior.
“It almost seems like the state is endorsing messaging with people engaging in dangerous drug use,” Beckwith added. “Needle exchanges have never worked.”
Beckwith pointed to Bloomington, one of the last Indiana communities operating a syringe exchange, as an example he said has not gone well. He added that the state is now reassessing such programs, noting that Gov. Mike Braun’s administration is “taking an active look” at cleaning them up.
Hill acknowledged that syringe exchange programs can be effective if the primary goal is to reduce the spread of infectious disease, but said they fall short if the objective is to prevent overdoses.
“If your objective is to stop overdoses, and you’re still giving needles to people to potentially overdose, you’re certainly not doing what it was supposed to do,” he said.
Hill said opposition to the program angered some advocates who, in his view, were seeking a politically palatable solution rather than one that produced results.
“They wanted a soft solution that they could sell, regardless of whether or not it worked,” Hill said. “We were looking to actually win and be truthful about the process.”
Sen. Crider’s bill would continue allowing local governments to operate syringe exchange programs with state approval. Supporters argue the programs are a proven public health tool, while critics, including Hill, say the state should focus on treatment and enforcement rather than harm reduction.
