NEEDLE EXCHANGE WON'T HELP ADDICTS

In regard to your editorial ("Needle exchange needed," Viewpoint, June 28)
that Richmond Hospital is to begin handing out "clean" needles to IV drug
addicts there is an old saying which goes, "the road to hell is paved with
good intentions." Also George Orwell made this statement, "Our thinking has
deteriorated to such an extent that the first duty of intelligent men is to
re-state the obvious."

I certainly would not like to see drug addicts using "dirty" needles to
inject their deadly drugs, but even if they use "clean" needles these
unfortunate people are still injecting deadly substances into their bodies
that over time totally destroy their health and ruin their lives. Giving IV
drug addicts "clean" needles to inject these deadly and harmful drugs like
heroin and cocaine is tantamount to handing out "clean" glasses to
alcoholics so they can drink cheap alcohol, aftershave lotion and rubbing
alcohol "safely." It's time to tell IV drug addicts the truth: by injecting
these deadly drugs you are slowly committing suicide and in many cases
flirting with sudden death in case of an overdose.

Rather than funding programs which effectively help IV drug addicts to kick
their deadly and harmful habit our government "do gooder" bureaucrats are
tacitly saying to IV drug users, "It's OK if you inject these addictive and
deadly drugs into your body, just be careful to use clean needles so you
don't catch a deadly disease." I would tell these unfortunate IV drug
addicts the truth, that even if they use perfectly "clean" needles they are
still injecting deadly and harmful drugs into their bodies.

It's time to call a spade a spade and help these unfortunate drug addicts
to free themselves from their slavery and addiction to these deadly drugs.
Handing out free "clean" needles won't help IV drug addicts to free
themselves from their deadly and harmful addiction to drugs.