Case library · No Choice
The Weekly Needle Swap
Commonwealth v. Leno (1993)
Charge: Unauthorized possession of hypodermic needles and unlawful distribution of instruments to take drugsCourt: Supreme Judicial Court of MassachusettsState: MassachusettsDocket: No Choice
The facts
Two men ran a needle swap on a city street for two hours every Wednesday evening. They handed out 150 to 200 clean syringes a night in exchange for used ones, free of charge, to about fifty or sixty people. They bought the clean syringes lawfully in another state. State law made handing out syringes without authority a crime. They said they were slowing the spread of a deadly virus among drug users.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Commonwealth v. Leno, 415 Mass. 835, 616 N.E.2d 453 (1993)
Read more at law.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.