Concord — The New Hampshire House passed a bill Wednesday to remove the criminal penalty for possessing a syringe with “unusable” amounts of illegal drugs and to allow organizations other than pharmacies to take back dirty needles.

Advocates for the proposal, which passed 272-86, said it will help prevent outbreaks of hepatitis C or other illnesses transferrable through needles. But opponents said the bill won’t be effective because it doesn’t set guidelines to actually create needle exchange programs statewide.

Lawmakers are focusing on a needle exchange program as New Hampshire faces a heroin and opioid crisis, with more than 400 people dying from drug overdoses last year.

“If we provide more access to clean syringes, we can improve public safety,” said Rep. Joe Hannon, a Republican from Lee and the bill’s prime sponsor.

The plan now moves to the state Senate.

Under existing law, only pharmacies can dispense hypodermic needles and syringes, and it is illegal for someone to possess a needle that contains residual amounts of drugs.

Some lawmakers are skeptical of language in the bill, specifically regarding what constitutes a residual or unusable amount of a drug such as fentanyl, which is responsible for many of the state’s overdose deaths.

“A single grain of fentanyl is sufficient to kill a person; how do you tell how much fentanyl is in a needle?” said Republican Rep. John Tholl, chairman of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

Tholl said the bill will create false hope for people that needle exchange programs will be available statewide. He said it’s likely only that nonprofits or other groups in cities would set up take-back programs.

“I would prefer to see us do something that creates a needle exchange program or allows the state to set guidelines,” he said.