cannabisnews.com: Exchanging Needles: Beyond the Spread of AIDS 





Exchanging Needles: Beyond the Spread of AIDS 
Posted by FoM on April 08, 2000 at 07:22:51 PT
By Robert Heimer, Washington Post
Source: Washington Post
In his April 3 front-page article, "A Helpful, or Harmful, Hand? Pr. George's Debates Exchange of Needles," Paul Schwartzman reports that "proponents [of syringe exchange] rest their case solely on public health concerns: Distributing clean syringes . . . is a proven way to curtail the spread of AIDS."
Many proponents of syringe exchange actually make the case that while syringe exchanges have been proven to prevent the spread of AIDS, they have also been shown to do more. In New Haven, we found that the exchange, which served 250 clients a month, was a conduit for enrolling people in substance-abuse programs. At the height of its effectiveness, the program was referring almost 30 people a month and successfully entering more than half in treatment programs. Most of the requests for treatment came from people who did not otherwise come to the exchange. In Baltimore, as well, slightly more than half of those referred to a drug treatment program by their syringe exchange entered treatment. What the syringe exchange programs in New Haven and Baltimore had in common at the time the data were collected was adequate funding to commit resources to making referrals and assisting entry. Those in Prince George's County should be sure that their proposed syringe exchange program includes funds that focus on assisting drug users in getting into effective substance abuse treatment. Then the program will do more than curtail the spread of AIDS; it will reduce drug use. ROBERT HEIMERNew Haven, Conn. Published: Saturday , April 8, 2000 ; A16© 2000 The Washington Post Company Related Articles:A Helpful, or Harmful, Hand? http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5275.shtmlFree Needles for Addicts?http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4639.shtmlCannabisNews Articles on Needle Exchange:http://ussc.alltheweb.com/cgi-bin/search?type=all&query=cannabisnews+needle+exchange 
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