S.F. READY FOR NEEDLE EXCHANGE

Health Department Says State Law Must Change

San Francisco could set up an effective needle exchange program within
months to prevent AIDS among drug addicts if state laws were changed to
make such a program legal, a city health department study has concluded.

A draft report of a city plan to prevent the spread of AIDS among drug
users proposes a $500,000 program that would allow drug addicts to exchange
dirty hypodermic needles for clean ones.

"The San Francisco Department of Public Health has in place the mechanism
to start a needle exchange program with very little delay," said the
report, a copy of which was obtained by The Chronicle.

According to the report, the city could immediately set up a program that
would send teams of needle swappers to sites frequented by drug addicts.
Within four months, the city could also have in place a storefront center
that could swap needles and provide counseling service referrals. A mobile
van also would be used to bring the service to neighborhoods where there is
high risk of infection.

The report said the program can only begin when state law is changed to
permit it. Mayor-elect Frank
(http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/jo.html)Jordan, however,
said he wants a city-run needle exchange program even if the law has not
been changed. Press secretary Josh Newman said Jordan, now vacationing in
Hawaii, has not seen a copy of the report.

Included in the $500,000 price of the Health Department plan is an AIDS
testing service for addicts, nursing support and $200,000 to cover the cost
of evaluating its effectiveness.

The report also concludes that a system offering drug treatment "on demand"
is the most effective strategy for reducing AIDS among drug users, but
acknowledges that the $30 million cost of such a program is "not
attainable" at this time.

In place of such a service, the report recommends restructuring existing
treatment programs to serve more people with available money and to seek $4
million in federal money to expand such programs. The plan proposes a
computerized reservation system to handle the backlog for treatment services.

Sharing of contaminated needles is a major source in the transmission of
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. There are an estimated 16,000 addicts in
San Francisco who inject drugs, primarily cocaine and heroin. About 15
percent, or 2,400, are believed to be infected with HIV. Since the start of
the epidemic, drug users have accounted for 1,369 or 12 percent of AIDS cases.

State law currently forbids the distribution of clean needles to drug
addicts, but San Francisco has supported a clandestine needle exchange
program that has distributed more than 250,000 syringes in the past year.
While San Francisco is prohibited by law from paying for needle exchanges,
it does provide cotton balls, alcohol wipes, bleach, and needle disposal
containers to Prevention Point, a volunteer organization that distributes
needles.