**This is a public service announcement about a health hazard plaguing the streets of Portland.**
Beware the hazards of the city
It might have been early training navigating around the copious amounts of merde on the streets of Paris, France, but I tend to look down when walking the streets and sidewalks of Portland. Usually what I see is fairly innocuous: lots of empty Newport cigarette packs, crumpled potato chip bags, a sad used condom or so, badly written love letters, a lost earring or the occasional nickel, dime or quarter seem to be typical sidewalk findings. I once even found a roll of bills that added up close to fifty dollars.
Recently however, I’ve been noticing lots of hypodermic needles, especially in downtown and around the fringes of Northwest Portland. Yesterday I spotted one next to the dumpster behind the Panda Express on W. Burnside where I park my car in the morning while getting coffee at Coffeehouse Northwest. Last week I spotted two used needles on SW 4th and Stark at the bus stop. Today, this lone capped specimen was seen on the busy sidewalk at the corner of SW Washington and Park.
Any ideas if there is an increase in intravenous drug use happening, or am I just noticing it more?
Also, what should I do when I find these needles? Should I pick them up and throw them away, or is there a standard way I am supposed to dispose of them?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I haven’t seen any needles, but damn if I’m not seeing far more broken glass on sidewalks in the past few weeks. Is this the new “fun thing,” going around smashing glass bottles along entire blocks’ worth of residential sidewalks? Feh.
Most big buildings will have a public restroom with a biohazard sharps disposal bucket in it. I’d be a little too skeeved to pick them up off the street, personally.
Really? I’ve never seen a sharps bucket outside of a hospital. I think it’s a great idea, though. If I had a roll of paper towels with me to pick up the syringes.
I can concur with this story….Been finding more needles than usual in the back booths at the porn store…..nasty.
Maybe it is some economic downturn, election freakout thing? Maybe IV drug use goes up as the economy goes down? God, how sad. And what about needle exchange? I thought that was like buying espresso in Portland - easy and everywhere.