Full Article by Tim Murphy | TheBody
In 2021, West Virginia passed some of the harshest syringe access restrictions in the country, setting off a wave of program shutdowns and legal uncertainty. For organizations like SOAR WV, the result was a sharp reduction in services—and a steep rise in community risk.
This deep dive from TheBody explores what happened when laws began to criminalize what public health experts recommend, even as HIV and overdose rates surged.
“We’ve seen our state turn its back on us, and now we have to ask ourselves if we’re going to turn our backs [on our IDU clients] or figure this out, come what may.”
— Joe Solomon, SOAR WV Co-Director
The article also highlights national perspectives from harm reduction leaders and policy advocates on why needle exchange programs remain vulnerable everywhere, even after decades of evidence—and what it will take to push back.
