Atlantic City’s Democrat-dominated council voted 7-2 on Wednesday to close the legendary resort’s unpopular needle exchange located a short walk from the Boardwalk.
Governor Phil Murphy quickly weighed in by criticizing the city’s local leadership.
–
“I am deeply disappointed by the Atlantic City Council decision to close the city’s syringe access program,” Murphy tweeted. “This action will endanger some of the city’s most at-risk residents and contradicts my Administration’s comprehensive, data-driven strategy to end the opioid crisis.”
Murphy’s opinion nevertheless appeared to represent the minority opinion inside A.C.
“Ending the needle exchange program in Atlantic City is a step forward in our revitalization,” Councilman Jesse Kurtz (R-6th Ward) told Save Jersey. “AC cannot thrive while having an exclusive monopoly on social services like the needle exchange. The pressure from the state and other out-of-towners should be directed at establishing a new framework for dealing with problems where they are, not shipping them to Atlantic City. “
–
