A southern West Virginia health department has stopped its needle exchange program due to strict requirements under a new state law. The Mercer County Health Department voted last week to discontinue its program, saying the new regulations are so strict that compliance is not possible. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported there are almost 50 requirements that had to be approved for a license to offer a harm reduction program that includes a needle exchange, and the health department found it impossible to meet them all. The needle exchange program began in 2019 in order to prevent the spread of diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV.