THE STATE SHOULD ALLOW BUT NOT RUN NEEDLE EXCHANGES

Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, a Wilmington Democrat, has tried for years to
persuade the General Assembly to adopt a pilot program of needle exchanges
in the city. She hasn't succeeded.

Undaunted, Sen. Henry has introduced Senate Bill 209, intended to slow the
spread of HIV and AIDS through intravenous drug use. The theory behind
needle exchange programs is that drug users with sterile needles are less
likely to contract and spread disease. There is evidence such programs slow
the spread of HIV by as much as 30 percent.

There are needle exchanges in most states and the District of Columbia.
They are endorsed by top medical groups including the American Medical
Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as a number of
governments and social service providers.

Wilmington has the largest concentration of AIDS cases in the state -
nearly 39 percent of the nearly 2,700 reported cases. Despite the
stereotype that AIDS is a homosexual problem, 65 percent of those infected
with the AIDS virus in Wilmington got it through sharing needles.

It must be acknowledged that many otherwise open-minded people do not
believe government should ameliorate or facilitate drug use.

Even though Mayor James Baker and the Wilmington City Council support S.B.
209, Police Chief Michael Szczerba opposes it. He thinks drug laws ought to
be tougher and that a needle exchange would send the wrong message to children.

The police chief surely knows that serious drug addicts are not deterred by
tough laws. They are physically dependent and out of control. Addicts can
be confined in prison, but without effective rehabilitation they're not cured.

Sen. Henry's bill has less to do with crime than containing a dread disease
that can spread through a widening circle of even innocent contacts.

The bill calls for documenting all transactions and encouraging intravenous
drug users to seek prevention programs. But the principal focus is on
needles. Their possession without a prescription is now illegal.

The senator ought to realize the depth and breadth of political opposition
and seek an alternative approach to solving this problem.

Last year, the Delaware HIV Consortium offered a plan to decriminalize
possession of syringes. If that were done, private social service agencies
could operate needle exchanges without financial support or interference
from the state.

We urge Sen. Henry and her supporters to pursue this sensible alternative.