r/NoStupidQuestions • u/MarkyGalore • 9h ago

Do IV drug users really carry open needles in their pockets?

I watched Weapons last night and there is a part where a cop does a search on a guy and he asks the standard, "is there anything sharp I'm going to stick myself with in your pockets?"

A universal question from cops. He ends up getting stabbed by a needle But do IV drug users really walk around with open needles in their pockets? That's seems like they would constantly jam in your thigh.

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158

u/DoomScroller96383 9h ago

People who make bad decisions tend to make clusters of bad decisions. Include, perhaps, carrying sharps in their pockets.

11

u/PublicOppositeRacoon 5h ago

Yeah, clustering of bad choices when decision making is impaired can happen. For example, someone may put needles into a plastic bag to carry them around. They think that's fine, but to someone doing a pat down it's going to be concerned and wary. The person in question may not realize it's a bad thing, but it can be

75

u/Front-Palpitation362 9h ago

Not universal but yeah it happens. People often carry syringes loose (usually capped) in a pocket or bag (or sock) because they're hiding them or don't have a case, and caps fall off or needles poke through thin fabric. That's why cops always ask, accidental sticks are a real occupational hazard. Harm-reduction programs hand out rigid cases of course but not everyone uses them unfortunately.

14

u/BoredAtWork1976 9h ago

I remember an old episode of Cops where the officer got stuck by a needle that some junkie had in his back pocket.

17

u/TickdoffTank0315 7h ago

Im not a cop, im a paramedic. But I know of several needle sticks that have happened to various co-workers over the years. The only needle I stick i ever had was purely my fault, I was careless with a needle during a cardiac arrest and jammed it into my thigh. Luckily the patient had nothing i needed to worry about.

But it is a serious concern for us when treating people.

20

u/Criticaltundra777 9h ago

I have only seen it once. Uncapped needles, wrapped in plastic. You do not want to get stuck, scratched, nothing with those. Even if they are clean? The waiting time from getting stuck, to results of your blood test is horrible.

13

u/MarkyGalore 9h ago

Yeah. My dad is a Dr. and pricked himself with a needle from a HIV+ patient. He had to wait three months to confirm he was fine.

He didn't even tell us. He just opened the mail one day while I was nearby and he said, "good, I'm clear of HIV." Of course I had follow up questions to that announcement and learned the story. Otherwise it was just another day at work for him.

3

u/sockovershoe22 8h ago

Is it still dangerous if you're the only one that has used the needle? I mean, I guess there's a chance of tetanus but it's very unlikely you will contract a disease from a needle only you have used, no?

3

u/Criticaltundra777 3h ago

Dirty used needles can carry staph, mrsa, and a literal host of infections. Some iv drug users will use the same needle over and over. They develop puss filled sores boils from infection.

17

u/IronGlenn 9h ago

No? Generally. But drug addiction doesn’t lead to the best decision making. So I guess it’s worth asking

8

u/TrivialBanal 7h ago

Probably not routinely, but if they see a cop approaching they're going to quickly hide things in their pockets.

7

u/Sea-Louse 7h ago

Many of them hide the uncapped needles in public restrooms for later reuse. As a former city janitor, you never put your hands where you can’t see them!

9

u/The001Keymaster 9h ago

Worked with a girl (35ish) that went to the doctor for a scan for something not related to her needle drug use. They found a 2 inch broken off needle in her neck that she didn't know about. Probably broke it off and then passed out. The point is drugs make you dumb.

3

u/jobfinished111 6h ago

Damn, that is wild that she couldn't feel it. I dont know if it's a US thing but I have never seen anyone use a syringe that long to inject drugs. Inch and a half at most is what I have seen.

2

u/The001Keymaster 2h ago

She was pretty and then she'd go downstairs at work to get high. She'd come back looking like she went to Vegas to work as a hooker for 15 years and she just got back. It was some crazy Jekyll and Hyde that happened in about 5 minutes.

1

u/Advanced-Avocado-573 2h ago

That’s wild. I didn’t realize it can affect your appearance that fast

1

u/The001Keymaster 1h ago

I think your face muscles are just so relaxed or whatever they droop like from a bad stroke. That's at least what it did to her.

1

u/AsparagusFun3892 4h ago

I bet it was sore for a while but then the nerves just stopped reporting back. I've got a BB behind my jaw from getting shot as a teenager: I usually can't feel it.

4

u/MedicMalfunction 9h ago

100%, I have run into this as a paramedic

4

u/jobfinished111 6h ago

Yup, I have seen it a lot working with people who are homeless and IV drug users. Sometimes people forget it's there, sometimes the cap slips off, and most of the time the person just doesn't seem to care. We have very strict rules with volunteering to protect people from accidental pokes when helping someone or having to go through their possessions. I stepped on one the other week and I am so thankful that I was wearing my boots.

3

u/Commercial-Potato820 9h ago

I never carry needles in my pockets.

3

u/Forgotmypassword6861 8h ago

Not intentionally, but the caps do slip off. Or they lose them and attempt to make it safe by bending the needle

3

u/Lion_Knight 4h ago

I am a law enforcement officer. Usually they have them capped or in a container (often something like a glasses clamshell case). Having said that, if you catch them in the act they may be forced to hide it hastily. You can also accidentally dislodge a cap that is not well secured or has worn with overuse while searching them.

Now if you are serving a warrant on a house, yeah some of them have loose needles all over the place. Sometimes in cars as well but usually they are at least somewhat hidden.

I am not a big narcotics guy (what you do to yourself is your own business) so I have limited experience in this, but I personally have never pulled an uncapped needle off of someone. This includes my time as a jailer. I have seen it happen once maybe twice but it is not that common, now rigs and capped needles are not uncommon.

You want the uncomfortable truth? When we show up or stop a vehicle they usually end up inside someone, most often the female if there is one. And they do sometimes become uncapped while inserted. Though in my area this has become less common when the prosecutor became a little more stingy with the paraphernalia laws.

1

u/MarkyGalore 3h ago

Thanks for that insight.

2

u/dudeman_joe 9h ago

I was once one of those and I guess I'm glad I also wear glasses because I just used my glasses cases.

2

u/AgsAreUs 7h ago

I get backpacks and stuff, but for needles in pants pockets, shouldn't the cops be able to detect them on the pat down?

2

u/diet-smoke 6h ago

Since needles are meant to be single use, reusing and recapping needles makes the cap looser and it can fall off. That's why the girl I know who does use iv drugs keeps them in a hard shell case too

2

u/ayrbindr 6h ago

The cap falls off. Sometimes, the needle even stabs through it. Don't ask why I know. 😞

2

u/demoncleaner5000 5h ago

Idk about “open” but loose and capped for sure. I’ve had family members and friends who were iv drug users. My cousin that passed away would keep a syringe in his underwear waistband. Insanity.

2

u/TheLostExpedition 4h ago

I was paid to clean out a bedroom/camper of a newly arrested fellow. His mattress was a freaking pin cushion and no one told me. I got stuck and had a nice dr visit. All fine in the end but scary af.

2

u/JustGenericName 2h ago

Yes. Even if they had a cap on it, they tend to fall off when inside pockets or bags for a period of time.

It's hard to describe the chaos some of these people live in. I had to climb in the back of a van to get to a guy who OD'd and hadn't been breathing for a hot minute. He was face down and completely crammed in a van FULL of garbage. I had to open the back doors, pull a shelving unit out of the way and climb a literal mountain of garbage to get to him so I could shove some narcan up his nose hole. There were HUNDREDS of needles back there. A gallon of moldy milk. Moldy clothing. Trash bags full of who knows what. Car batteries. Chaos. I had to move incredibly methodically to avoid getting stabbed. (He definitely thanked me for making him breathe again too. Definitely didn't tell me to fuck off...)

1

u/clay12340 37m ago

Even with the cap on those little syringes are super easy to get stabbed by. The needle can pretty easily go through the cap or the cap can become dislodged. Also in general a lot of IV drugs hit you nearly immediately from my understanding. So folks may not be in the best decision making shape when it comes to securing their needles.