Pubdate: Sun, 25 Jun 2006
Source: Clarion-Ledger, The (MS)
Copyright: 2006 The Clarion-Ledger
Contact:  http://www.clarionledger.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/805
Author: Robert Sharpe
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n760/a01.html

NEEDLE EXCHANGES HELP LOWER AIDS RATES

Regarding Perspective Editor Sid Salter's June 11 article ("Miss.: 25 
years of AIDS"), needle exchanges have been shown to reduce the 
spread of HIV 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. U.S. 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 tough-on-drugs 
politicians acknowledge the drug war's tremendous collateral damage 
sooner rather than later.

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman