CONCORD, N.H.

An effort to remove criminal penalties for possessing needles with trace amounts of drugs stalled Thursday in the New Hampshire Senate.

New Hampshire is in the midst of an opioid addiction crisis, with drug use and related overdoses rising. Sponsors of the legislation said it would pave the way for needle exchange programs, more safely allowing drug users to dispose of dirty needles and obtain clean ones. Reusing syringes can contribute to the spread of HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases. But senators felt the bill needed to establish clearer guidelines for needle exchanges and voted to turn it into a study committee.

Senators from Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city, said dirty needles are frequently found in parks and on sidewalks and noted that under existing law, people who pick them up to dispose of them could face criminal charges.

“This is becoming a pervasive situation,” Democratic Sen. Lou D’Allesandro said, adding that he picked up a needle during a park cleanup in Manchester. “If I don’t pick it up, some kid’s going to pick it up, or somebody’s going to get in trouble.”

He and several other senators suggested the chamber should act quickly next year on creating a needle exchange program once the study is completed.

Democratic Sen. Donna Soucy, also of Manchester, said emergency responders picked up more than 300 used needles between Manchester and Nashua, found everywhere from baseball fields to street corners.

Senators also engaged Thursday in impassioned debates over abortion-related bills and whether to ban the practice of so-called gay conversion therapy for minors. Several lawmakers shared deeply personal stories to illustrate their arguments, but ultimately few changes were made to New Hampshire laws.

On two tie votes, the chamber defeated legislation that would’ve required the collection of statistics on women who get abortions and repealed the law allowing 25-foot buffer zones around facilities that provide abortions. Republican Sens. Jerry Little of Weare and Nancy Stiles of Hampton sided with Democrats to block both efforts.

Senators delayed action on the gay conversion therapy bill after Democrats objected to an amendment that would’ve turned the ban into a study committee. State Sen. David Pierce shared his own story of coming out as a gay man in an emotional appeal to his colleagues to enact the ban.

“All people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserve to be treated with equal dignity and respect,” he said. “This bill seeks to recognize that this shameful practice, discredited for 40 years now, has no place in New Hampshire.”