This week marks the first that Mainers battling the opioid crisis won’t face the threat of criminal charges for possessing hypodermic needles. Passed in July, LD 994 eliminates criminal penalties for possession of hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia, something that harm reduction advocates say makes them more effective at their work helping those in crisis. Chasity Tuell, a program director with the syringe service program Maine Access Points, called the law an “essential and necessary step for the health and wellness of people who use drugs in Maine.” “Our communities across Maine will have increased access to harm reduction services without fearing criminalization for receiving this care, reducing the risk of illness and saving lives,” Tuell said. Safe injection sites, syringe service programs and other harm reduction advocates have pushed the state to decriminalize the possession of needles used for drugs.