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It is about the preventing the of spread HIV and AIDS in a city that has the highest rate for the killer that has no cure.
It is about preventing those who are addicted from sharing needles and spreading it to the next person. Its costs $144,000 a year to deal with addicts and I rather them be healthier than pay for their medical bills.
President Bush signed legislation on Wednesday lifting a ban that for nearly a decade has prevented city officials here from using local tax money for needle exchange programs.
Officials of the District of Columbia Health Department said that with the ban lifted, they would allocate $1 million for such programs in 2008.
Since 1999, the nation’s capital, which reports having the highest rate of AIDS infection of any major city in the country, has been the only city barred by federal law from using municipal money for needle exchanges. A recent report by the city showed that intravenous drug users’ sharing of needles was second only to unprotected sex as a leading cause of H.I.V. transmission.
Congress controls local government here, and for nine years members of the House, expressing concerns about worsening drug abuse, had inserted into the bill approving the city’s budget a provision to prohibit financing needle exchange programs. But with Republicans’ loss of Congressional control to Democrats, this year’s bill, signed by Mr. Bush on Wednesday, reversed the ban.
“For too long, Congress has unfairly imposed on the citizens of D.C. by trying out their social experiments there,” said Representative José E. Serrano, the New York Democrat who heads the House Appropriations subcommittee that handles the city’s budget. “The ban on needle exchanges was one of the most egregious of these impositions, especially because the consensus is clear that these programs save lives.”
It won't do a thing to stop the spread of HIV or Hep. They will still share needles because they are too lazy to take them in to trade, and they will still have unprotected sex in the bath houses in SanFran. How about longer drug intervention programs instead of a few months in detox. It takes 6 mos to get heroin out of your system. How about inforcement of our border to keep the drugs out?
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,329 posts, read 54,389,283 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MotleyCrew
How about inforcement of our border to keep the drugs out?
I've always found it difficult to believe that with technology available that allows us to read a license plate from 22,500 miles in space that we couldn't stop the importation of drugs if we really wanted to. Too much $$$$$ involved in the right places.
You are correct that the principal reason for the exchanges is an HIV reduction strategy, and it has succeeded in several of the programs in NYS. The peer component of the programs, easy accessibility and an emphasis on prevention acts as a deterrent to sharing needles.
A pilot study is also underway to permit the exchange of needles at identified and licensed pharmacies. It too is proving successful and as you mentioned these programs are cost-efficient.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoveMiiorHateMii
This Needle Exchange program is not about DRUGS.
It is about the preventing the of spread HIV and AIDS in a city that has the highest rate for the killer that has no cure.
It is about preventing those who are addicted from sharing needles and spreading it to the next person. Its costs $144,000 a year to deal with addicts and I rather them be healthier than pay for their medical bills.
It won't do a thing to stop the spread of HIV or Hep. They will still share needles because they are too lazy to take them in to trade, and they will still have unprotected sex in the bath houses in SanFran. How about longer drug intervention programs instead of a few months in detox. It takes 6 mos to get heroin out of your system. How about inforcement of our border to keep the drugs out?
That hasn't been effective even if they protect the borders. The
War on Drugs has been going on too long with nothing accmplished. If they use drugs with a clean needle that can prevent one more person from dying from Aids and the long term medical care that they need.
You can rehabilitate someone but you can not cure this disease.
Thats weird, I know that some of you are for legalization of marijuana but you don't support needle exchange to prevent transmission of diseases? Its sounds a little hypocritical, would you guys explain why and why not? Would not a decrease in crime (legalization of marijuana) and a decrease in health care costs (needle exchange) be a good thing? Personally, I don't really care that much about either issue, but I find it odd that you are for one thing and against another which seems very similar to me...
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,329 posts, read 54,389,283 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by evilnewbie
Thats weird, I know that some of you are for legalization of marijuana but you don't support needle exchange to prevent transmission of diseases? Its sounds a little hypocritical, would you guys explain why and why not? Would not a decrease in crime (legalization of marijuana) and a decrease in health care costs (needle exchange) be a good thing? Personally, I don't really care that much about either issue, but I find it odd that you are for one thing and against another which seems very similar to me...
For one thing legalizing marijuana which is not addictive and causes no more harm and probably less than either alcohol or tobacco is a far cry from encouraging people to continue the intravenous injection of harmful, addictive drugs.
And for another thing I believe it's ridiculous that Tommy Chong spent 9 months in jail for selling bongs, no drugs but bongs yet we happily pass out syringes.
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