A West Virginia bill that would regulate needle exchange programs passed the state legislature on Saturday. Critics have said more stringent requirements for the programs will constrain the number of providers who give clean syringes to injection drug users not able to quit the habit altogether. Supporters said the legislation would help those addicted to opioids get connected to health care services fighting substance abuse. The new rules would take effect amid one of the nation’s highest spikes in HIV cases related to intravenous drug use. The surge, clustered primarily around Charleston and Huntington, is being attributed at least in part to the cancellation in 2018 of a needle exchange program. The needle exchange bill is headed to the governor’s desk.