Seattle Starbucks baristas disposes of hypodermic needles left behind by drug users nearly every day: report



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Starbucks baristas in Seattle have been revealed to be in need of hypodermic help.

Three employees at the North Seattle-area Starbucks revealed to KIRO that they had been forced to take anti-viral medications after being poked by the needles while working.

"[Needle users] put them in the buffer, "one barista claimed.

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The baristas, who were not named, said they want the coffee chain to be avoided.

"I'm pretty sure it's going to be worse," he added.

Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges told KIRO that in 2017 the company started training employees on what steps need to be taken when hypodermic needles are found.

He confirmed that at least two Seattle-area baristas have been poked by needles, but disputed the claims that the baristas had to "dig" the needles out of the bins.

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A Starbucks spokesperson told Fox News: "The drug abuses crisis in Seattle impacts every single company in the world.

"These societal issues affect us all and can sometimes place our partners in scary situations, which is why we have protocols and resources in place to ensure our partners are out of harm's way."

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The Seattle region had the third highest number of people in the US last year, despite spending $ 68 million on combating homelessness.

In August, a small cluster of recent HIV diagnoses in North Seattle.

The eight new infections, which were all diagnosed since February, were reported as heterosexuals, drug users and homeless homeless, according to The Seattle Times.

And earlier this year, KIRO obtained a letter to visit Seattle by the organizers of a large pharmaceutical convention claiming they felt unsafe during a recent visit because of the behavior they encountered in the street, including openly urinating people and defecating in the street.

"We are witnessing three young addicts sitting outside of a major smoking establishment, and one was passed out," "the letter read, adding that they" "lost count of the number of people talking to themselves."

Last month, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said it would be $ 1.3 million for a pilot program that would create an injection site for drug users.

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