STUDY SUGGESTS DOCTORS GIVE ADDICTS SYRINGES

SAN FRANCISCO -- Physicians can protect patients and fight the spread of
HIV by prescribing syringes to illegal drug users, according to a study
published Tuesday in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Co-written by Daniel Abrahamson of the Lindesmith Center in San
Francisco, the study says needle sharing is the major vector for the
spread of HIV in the United States, as well as a significant contributor to
increased rates of hepatitis and other fatal conditions.

The study makes a strong case that syringe prescription is a ``medical
necessity'' and an important part of a comprehensive strategy to control
the negative health outcomes associated with illegal drug use, according to
a Lindesmith Center spokesman.

Compiled by Kaye Ross, Mercury News, from staff and wire reports.