Santa Monica Passes Ordinance Saying City Funds Can’t Be Used for Needle Exchange Programs

The city contracts with nonprofits that also receive money from LA County for the needle exchanges in three parks.

A family uses a playground near a homeless man in Santa Monica, Calif., on June 2, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The Santa Monica City Council recently voted to revise contracts with two nonprofits, indicating that it cannot use city funds to distribute clean needles for drug addicts in the city’s parks or public spaces.

Residents and business owners alike have complained to city officials about a needle exchange program in the city, which has been in place at three of its parks since 2019.