BOSTON (AP) - A case that could clarify whether groups distributing clean hypodermic needle to stem the spread of diseases like AIDS can operate legally in Massachusetts is heading to the state’s highest court.
On Thursday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments in the case of the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod vs. the Town of Barnstable.
The case dates to 2015, when town officials issued a cease-and-desist order, demanding the group shut down the program. A judge at the time sided with the AIDS activists.
The town has argued the group failed to receive local approval and created a health risk from dirty needles left around town by drug users.
Activists pointed to a 2006 state law that removed restrictions on the possession and distribution of needles and syringes.
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