COALITION IN SENATE OKS NEEDLE SWAPS

An unusual coalition of Democrats and a few key Republicans in the Colorado
Senate helped give preliminary approval Friday to legislation that would
allow local governments to offer controversial needle exchange programs.

The bill, SB 99, was carried by Denver Republican Dottie Wham. In
November, the Denver City Council passed an ordinance allowing up to three
needle exchanges to register and be monitored by the city if state law is
amended.

Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, who admitted in his July State of the City
address that he had changed his position on the issue, applauded the
Senate's vote.

"I'm pleased that we're halfway there, and I certainly want to
congratulate those legislators that were able to give another tool to be
used in the fight against the spread of AIDS," Webb said Friday from
Floriday, where he is attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting.

Other advocates hailed the passage of SB 99 as "excellent news."

"This is as good as it gets," said Paul Simons, director of the HIV
prevention group People Engaged in Education and Reduction Strategies.

"A lot of courage was shown on the floor of the Senate today," Simons added.

"They saw how this can have an effect on the spread of HIV. Needle
exchanges can save lives and money."

But critics vowed to continue fighting SB 99 if it wins final Senate
approval Monday and moves to the House Judiciary Committee.

"The message is that giving new needles to addicts is not going to
guarantee they will stop sharing needles," said Les Langford, vice
president of the Colorado Association of Police Chiefs.

Langford said there should be an emphasis on educating addicts about
"cleaning the needles they do have...I applaud their efforts to deal with
the spread of AIDS, but they're going about it the wrong way."

"We will work it the whole way," said Kirk Miller, legislative liaison for
the Denver Police Protective Association, which also opposes the plan.
"It's a health issue, but it's also a law enforcement issue. The state has
basically provided the equivalent to commit a felony."

Needle exchange programs in more than 70 communities across the nation are
built around trading one sterile syringe for each used one. Blood-borne
diseases, such as AIDS and hepatitis B and C, can be spread by sharing
needles.

The bill would amend state drug paraphernalia laws to exempt health
workers and participants from being arrested for possessing syringes if
they have been issued program identification cards. The measure would also
offer treatment and counseling.

Wham fought opposition from conservative Republicans who said passage of
the measure suggests that drug use is acceptable.

"It's hard in my mind to say we're not legalizing drugs when we're
legalizing the needle," said Sen. Ray Powers, R-Colorado Springs.

But as the debate continued and Wham became increasingly angry, she
insisted the bill was about public health and limiting the spread of the
AIDS virus.

"Let me make this perfectly clear," Wham said. "This bill does not
legalize drugs."

Wham, sarcastically adding that she's never carried a bill that promoted
drug use, said the bill would not create a state law calling for needle
exchange programs; it would only allow local communities to make that
decision.

"It's time we did it. It's a situation that my city should have a right to
do, if they think it's the right thing to do to control the spread of this
disease," she said.

Webb said the bill "in no way is giving up on the fight against drugs."

Friday's Senate vote was 20-16 [sic: 20-15, actually]. All of the Senate
Democrats supported the bill, as did Republicans Wham, Sally Hopper, Dave
Wattenberg, Tillie Bishop and Senate President Tom Norton.

For more information, call/write:

People Engaged in Education and Reduction Strategies (PEERS) 2701 Alcott
St. #263 Denver, CO 80203 phone: (303) 455-2472 fax: (303) 455-2548
email: PERSDEN@aol.com