MOST DOCTORS, PHARMACISTS CAN GIVE NEEDLES TO ADDICTS

WASHINGTON--- Most doctors and pharmacists in the United States can
legally prescribe and dispense needles to drug users, legal and
medical experts said yesterday.

The researchers whose work was sponsored by the nonprofit Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, said their findings should reassure doctors who
had been reluctant to give syringes to drug users for fear of legal
penalties.

They said the practice helps prevent the spread of disease including
the AIDS virus and gives doctors a chance to counsel patients about
the dangers of drug use.