Exempts entities registered with the department of health and senior services that distribute hypodermic needles or syringes from the crime of unlawful delivery of drug paraphernalia

This bill creates a legal exemption for organizations registered with the Department of Health and Senior Services that distribute hypodermic needles or syringes as part of a syringe access program. To qualify for this protection, these entities must have a partnership with a mental health or substance use treatment provider and must not operate within 500 feet of a school building, unless the school was built after the program started. The law removes the risk of criminal charges for these registered groups and their staff when they provide needles to mitigate health risks associated with injection drug use.