Julie Dingwell of Aids Saint John tells CHSJ News they've been operating a needle distribution program for more than twenty years and have approximately five-hundred people using the service at this time, but Dingwell says most needles are properly disposed of, and they very rarely get a call from someone who has found one in the community.
In the event that you do come across a used needle, Dingwell says pick it up by the other end, put it into some type of used container and dispose of it. She says it's easy to dispose of needles nowadays; even many gas stations have sharps containers in their washrooms.
Dingwell tells us she's never heard of anyone getting HIV from a used needle, though she says if it's a fresh needle, Hepatitis C could be a worry. But she says the amount of needles given out has decreased by 50% since the methadone programs were introduced in the city.