Pubdate: Wed, 08 Jan 2003
Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)
Copyright: 2003 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.uniontrib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/386
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n025/a04.html

DO NEEDLE EXCHANGES MAKE THE CITY SAFER?

Mayor Dick Murphy is confused if he thinks barring needle exchanges will 
make San Diego America's safest city. Needle-exchange programs have been 
proven to reduce the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C without increasing drug 
use. They also serve as a bridge to drug treatment for an especially hard 
to reach population. Drug users are not the only beneficiaries. Centers for 
Disease Control researchers estimate that 57 percent of AIDS cases among 
women and 36 percent of overall AIDS cases in the United States are linked 
to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs. This easily 
preventable public health crisis is a direct result of zero tolerance laws 
that restrict access to clean syringes. In the interest of containing the 
HIV epidemic, let's hope America's tough-on-drugs politicians acknowledge 
the drug war's tremendous collateral damage sooner rather than later.

ROBERT SHARPE Drug Policy Alliance Washington, D.
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