OFFICIAL VOWS TO FIGHT FOR NEEDLE PLAN

SPRINGFIELD - A state senator whose legislation opened the door for
needle exchange programs in four communities in Massachusetts, said last
night he will continue his fight to expand the program intended to reduce
the spread of AIDS.

State Sen. James P. Jajuga, D-Methuen, took part in a community forum last
night in the Sixteen Acres section of the city titled "Does Springfield
Need Needle Exchange?" Jajuga, in response, said the program, in which
clean needles are given to drug addicts in exchange for used needles, is
needed to save lives and has proven successful in the pilot communities of
Northampton, Boston, Cambridge and Provincetown.

Approximately 40 people attended the forum held at the Foster Memorial
Church. It was sponsored by the Springfield Alliance for Needle Exchange
and various organizations and agencies. The audience included numerous
community activists and advocates for the needle program.

Opponents of the needle exchange program said they are not convinced that
it reduces the spread of AIDS, and many said they support other strategies
including education, outreach and increased drug treatment.

Jajuga, who filed bills to start pilot programs in the state, said people
have known about AIDS for 20 years. "How much longer to we have to talk
about this?" Jajuga said. "Twenty years is enough."

Jajuga said he believes misinformation has caused the program to be
rejected by Springfield and other communities. He recently re-filed a bill
that will allow the state to mandate the program when deemed necessary, but
with community advisory committees.

One panel member, Jay Griffin of Northern Educational Services, said it is
a "great mistake" to mandate the program.

"There should be total community involvement," Griffin said. "It would be a
great mistake to mandate it and not allow the community to discuss it."

The other three panel members selected by the sponsors joined Jajuga in
urging Springfield to support the needle program. They were Robert Heimer
of the Yale University School of Public Health, Peter Fisher of the Pioneer
Valley Hepatitis C Action Project, and Dr. Ann Morris, an infectious
disease physician in Springfield.

Heimer said some people oppose needle exchanges on the belief it sends the
wrong message or encourages drug use. Studies show the program is
successful, and denying it to drug abusers is similar to not taking an
injured motorist to the emergency room who is under the influence of
alcohol, he said.