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Flint, MI Public Health Rules: Syringe Disposal (2026)

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Exempt program
Wellness AIDS Service Inc.
Covers
Hypodermic syringes/needles
Max fine (non-exempt)
$500
Max jail (non-exempt)
90 days

Summary

Flint bans selling or furnishing hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia, but exempts participants in the city's approved syringe exchange program.

It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale, display, furnish, supply or give away any empty gelatin capsule, hypodermic syringe or needle, cocaine spoon, marihuana pipe, hashish pipe, or other instrument, implement or device that is primarily adapted or designed for the administration or use of any controlled substance as enumerated in Sections 7210 – 7220, Act 368 of the Public Acts of 1978, as amended, commonly known as the Public Health Code, being MCLA §§ 333.1101 et seq. and MSA §§ 14.15(1101) et seq.

(b)   The prohibition contained in this section shall not apply to manufacturers, wholesalers, jobbers, licensed medical technicians, technologists, nurses, hospitals, research teaching institutions, clinical laboratories, medical doctors, osteopathic physicians, dentists, chiropodists, veterinarians, pharmacists or embalmers in the normal, lawful course of their respective businesses or professions, nor to common carriers or warehouses or their employees engaged in the lawful transportation of such paraphernalia, nor to public officers or employees while engaged in the performance of their official duties, nor to persons suffering from diabetes, asthma, or any other medical condition requiring self- injections.

(c)   The prohibition contained in this section shall not apply to persons who are participants of the Wellness AIDS Service Incorporated Approved Syringe Exchange Program.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2016 Code: Local legislation current through Ordinance 3821, passed 3-1-2012).

Full Breakdown

The City of Flint's paraphernalia ordinance bars selling, offering for sale, displaying, furnishing, supplying or giving away hypodermic syringes or needles, cocaine spoons, marihuana or hashish pipes, and similar items adapted for controlled-substance use. A separate carve-out exempts participants of the Wellness AIDS Service Incorporated Approved Syringe Exchange Program from that prohibition, allowing the harm-reduction program to distribute and exchange syringes lawfully within city limits.

Violations & Fines

Selling or furnishing prohibited paraphernalia outside an exception carries the Code's general penalty of up to a $500 fine, 90 days in jail, or both (§ 1-7); the named syringe exchange program's participants are not in violation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a needle exchange program legal in Flint?
Yes for the named program, § 31-27.3(c) exempts participants of the Wellness AIDS Service Incorporated Approved Syringe Exchange Program from the city's paraphernalia-furnishing ban.
Is handing out syringes generally legal in Flint?
No: outside that named exchange program, furnishing or selling hypodermic needles as drug paraphernalia is prohibited under § 31-27.3(a).

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Flint

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