Pueblo syringe exchange ban temporarily blocked by district judge

(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A ban on syringe exchange programs in Pueblo is on hold after a district court judge Thursday issued a temporary restraining order against enforcement of the new ordinance.

That means two programs in the city will be allowed to operate until at least July 10, when a preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled.

“The Court finds, based on the evidence presented, that one of the primary purposes of the syringe exchange programs in which Plaintiffs operated, is to reduce overdose risk and save lives, which the Ordinance, at least in part, prohibits them from doing. Therefore, the risk is immediate, irreparable, and not speculative,” Pueblo County District Court Judge Taylor Thomas wrote in the order.

A May ordinance from Pueblo City Council prohibits syringe exchange programs, or SEPs, where people in the city can access sterile syringes and other supplies for drug use. This week, the ACLU of Colorado sued the city on behalf of the two programs, arguing that state law allowing such programs supersedes any municipal ordinance against them.

The Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association and the Colorado Health Network run SEPs in the city. SEPs are part of a harm reduction strategy to mitigate the spread of communicable diseases such as HIV among people who use drugs, especially injectable ones. They offer sterile supplies, safe needle disposal and often connect people to other medical, behavioral and recovery resources.

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