Comments on: Comments on 4567

Post number 4567

mathowie — Fri, 01 Dec 2000 01:50:28 -0800

Needle exchanges reduce the number of new HIV infections, rid the streets of dirty needles, while not increasing drug use among those participating in exchanges. Too bad the US gov't refuses to fund them.

By: snarkout

snarkout — Fri, 01 Dec 2000 07:45:11 -0800

McCaffrey had been in an open debate about the issue with Sandra L. Thurman, director of national AIDS policy for the White House, who argued strongly that the ban should be lifted. In a letter to Thurman, McCaffrey reiterated his belief that needle exchanges send the wrong message about drugs to children. He said he would rather see the money spent on drug treatment programs. "As public servants, citizens and parents, we owe our children an unambiguous `no use' message," he wrote.

That's truly heartbreaking, but at least I now know what I'm going to do for World AIDS Day -- I'm going to write my senators and urge them to fight the White House on this and to, at least in this one aspect, put public health and safety ahead of the War on Drugs. You can find your senator's mailing address here.

By: bradlands

bradlands — Fri, 01 Dec 2000 13:15:06 -0800

A former heroin user (and current weblogger) talks about how needle exchange programs and other risk-reduction efforts may just have saved his life when he was using. (Includes some great works exchange info links.)