NEEDLE EXCHANGES SENSIBLE

Kudos to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for the excellent June 5 editorial on
the need for needle-exchange programs ("Make It Legal").

When politics trumps science, people die. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 56 percent of AIDS cases among women are
linked to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs.
Overall, 36 percent of AIDS cases in the United States can be traced back
to intravenous drug use.

This easily preventable public health crisis is a direct result of zero
tolerance policies that restrict access to clean syringes. Punitive drug
laws compound the problem by driving use underground. Would alcoholics seek
help if doing so were tantamount to confessing to criminal activity?

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

Program Officer
The Lindesmith Center
Drug Policy Foundation
Washington, D.C.