Mamdani administration makes cash-for-syringes pilot program permanent

Source: New York Post

The Mamdani administration has quietly made permanent a controversial pilot program that pays junkies cash for turning in used needles — a move critics contend will only encourage illegal drug use. The city’s massive $126 billion budget for the new fiscal year that began July 1 includes $3 million to retain the Health Department’s Community Syringe Redemption Program, which pays the public 20 cents per syringe. The announcement was made with little fanfare in budget documents the agency provided to the NYC Council on June 30, shortly before members approved Zohran Mamdani’s first spending plan as mayor.