Houston Matters

Should Texas Initiate a Needle Exchange Program?

During the legislative session, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill allowing for the creation of needle exchange pilot programs in the state’s urban areas, including Harris County. However, the bill ultimately died in the Senate. It’s the fourth time in six years backers of the initiative hoped it would pass both houses. One […]

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During the legislative session, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill allowing for the creation of needle exchange pilot programs in the state's urban areas, including Harris County. However, the bill ultimately died in the Senate. It’s the fourth time in six years backers of the initiative hoped it would pass both houses.

One of those backers is Dr. William Martin, director of the Drug Policy Program at Rice's Baker Institute. He tells Houston Matters’ Paige Phelps why he believes Texas has once again failed to provide one of the most successful public health programs in the world. He began by explaining what it is about needle exchanges that initially captured his attention.

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Michael Hagerty

Michael Hagerty

Senior Producer, Houston Matters

Michael Hagerty is the senior producer for Houston Matters. He's spent more than 20 years in public radio and television and dabbled in minor league baseball, spending four seasons as the public address announcer for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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