SAY YES

Re: Needle Happy, Editorial, Nov. 16.

Prison systems do everything they can to prevent drugs and needles from
entering prisons. Nevertheless, some prisoners continue injecting drugs
while behind bars. While efforts to prevent drug use are important, efforts
to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis must be stepped up.

The World Health Organization, the United Nations Joint Programme on
HIV/AIDS, the Canadian Expert Committee on AIDS in Prisons and many others
have all recommended that sterile needles be made available to those
inmates who continue injecting drugs.

Evaluations of needle exchange programs in prisons have shown they do not
lead to increased drug use and they reduce the spread of infection.