By Adrian Croft

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuter) The American Bar Association called Tuesday for an
end to legal barriers to needle exchange programs to help reduce the spread
of AIDS among intravenous drug users.

After an hourlong debate, the ABA's policymaking body the House of
Delegates voted 233175 to adopt a resolution stating the association
``supports the removal of legal barriers to the establishment and operation
of approved needle exchange programs that include a component of drug
counseling and drug treatment referrals.''

The ABA, the world's largest legal group, is holding its annual meeting in
San Francisco.

Supporters said needle exchange programs, which make clean hypodermic needles
available to intravenous drug users, helped reduce the spread of HIV, the
virus that causes AIDS, and other bloodborne diseases such as hepatitis
among the drug users, their sexual partners and their children.

Sharing of dirty needles by drug users is one means of transmitting
HIV.

Opponents said the resolution condoned illegal drug use or that the ABA had
no business getting involved in the issue.

``All the studies show that by using a needle exchange program, we are not
going to increase the incidence of drug use,'' Terence MacCarthy, an attorney
from Illinois and a supporter of the resolution, told Reuters.

``We know that by using a needle exchange program we have the promise ...
that we are going to save some lives, we are going to stop the continued
proliferation of these infectious diseases ...'' he added.

Other lawyers argued strongly against the resolution.

``I think it is entirely disingenuous to say that this resolution does not
condone illegal drug use,'' Darrell Jordan, from Texas, told the meeting.

``If you enjoy seeing the American Bar Association ridiculed across the
editorial pages of this country ... so be it. I say to you that this is bad
policy,'' Jordan said.

David Wilson, also from Texas, said the resolution was ``a bugle call by the
ABA to sound the first retreat in our nation's war on drugs.''

A report submitted to the conference said ``the removal of legal barriers''
to needle exchanges would involve exempting needle exchange programs from
drug paraphernalia laws and repealing pharmacy laws limiting the sale of
syringes without a prescription, for example.

Needle exchange programs are particularly controversial in California, where
the state legislature has several times voted to legalize needle exchanges
only to see the bills vetoed by Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, who said that
giving state backing to such programs sent the wrong message and undermined
antidrug efforts.

San Francisco and Los Angeles operate needle exchange programs without state
authorization.

U.S. mayors meeting in San Francisco in June called on the federal government
to free up funding for needle exchange programs. Currently federal funds
cannot be used for the programs, except in pilot projects for research.