New Hampshire would join the rest of the New England in making it easier for addicts to exchange dirty needles for clean ones under a bill being heard by a House committee.
Under current law, hypodermic needles and syringes can only be dispensed by pharmacists, and possessing a used syringe with heroin residue on it is a felony.
The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee is holding a public hearing Tuesday on a bill that would legalize residual amounts of heroin left on used syringes, and would allow nonprofit and community groups to create needle exchange programs.
Most other states, including all the other New England states, have needle exchange programs.