The Illinois Governor has signed House Bill 2589, which requires pharmacists to sell sterile hypodermic needles to patients who need them for medication. Essentially, the law shifts the sale from a discretionary choice to a required, health-guided practice. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2026.
Supporters say the law ensures safe access and reduces disease risks, while critics warn it could make needles easier to obtain for illegal drug use and create public safety concerns. State Rep. John Cabello and a handful of Republicans in the House never voted on the measure.
A handful of Republicans in the Senate voted no. Former Democrat candidate for the 40th Senate District, Kimberly Earling, whose family has been personally affected by drug addiction, said the law could have prevented her daughter from contracting hepatitis C, emphasizing that safe access to clean needles can lower mortality rates and disease risks for intravenous drug users.
In Illinois, the prescription requirement for purchasing hypodermic needles was removed on July 25, 2003, when Governor Rod Blagojevich signed Senate Bill 880 into law.
Story from Illinois Radio Network
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