NEEDLE EXCHANGE MAY GET ITS CHANCE

It took nine years and four governors, but a panel created to address AIDS
in New Jersey finally has a New Jersey chief executive's support for a
needle exchange program to combat the spread of the deadly disease.

Yesterday, the Governor's Advisory Council on AIDS met for the first time
during the new administration of Gov. James E. McGreevey, who has said he
will create a pilot needle exchange program to fight AIDS among intravenous
drug users and their sexual partners.

The advisory council outlined a plan to lobby for legislation that would
decriminalize syringe possession, and to publicize the success of such
programs elsewhere in the world.

"We're very excited about what we can do under a new administration," said
the council's acting chairman, Terry Zealand. He called upon his colleagues
to be "re-energized."

Zealand named Riki Jacobs, executive director of the Hyacinth AIDS
Foundation, to be the council's legislative "watchdog" who will keep tabs
on the bills. Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), also a member,
introduced a bill last month that calls for the Department of Health and
Senior Services to create a three-year pilot program that would take used
syringes in exchange for clean ones.

"New Jersey is the only state in the Northeast without a needle exchange
program, yet the No. 1 cause of AIDS in this state is IV drugs," Gusciora said.

Among the state's 43,000 AIDS cases, more than half are attributed to
intravenous drug use. The program proposed by Gusciora would also offer
access to drug treatment.

"This is going to be a very exciting issue for us," Zealand said. "Our hope
is that it doesn't get bogged down in politics and controversy."

The council first took a position in favor of needle exchange in 1993, but
no governor from Jim Florio through Donald DiFrancesco has been willing to
embrace the concept. Christie Whitman was particularly adamant, saying
giving addicts needles condoned illegal drug use and sent a harmful message.

Len Deo, president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council, a conservative
research organization, is one of the few members of the council who opposes
syringe exchange.

"Some have a great deal of zeal" for needle exchange, Deo noted. "I'm not
discouraged. I just want to answer questions that make sense."