PINKHAM - PANIC IN NEEDLE EXCHANGE PARK

"God help Bobby and Helen. They're in love in Needle Park." That was
the tagline from the 1971 movie that launched the career of Al
Pacino. The movie was, "a stark portrayal of life among a group of
heroin addicts who hang out in Needle Park in New York City." Pacino,
who plays "Bobby" is a small time hustler and addict who hooks up
with homeless girl "Helen," played by Kitty Winn. She becomes
addicted also, and life goes downhill, leading to a series of
betrayals. Pacino goes on to play Micheal Corleone and achieve
superstar status. Real heroin addicts?...not so good. The moral to
this story is that Heroin Chic is a lie. The life of an addict is a
downward spiral that ultimately ends in death. Whether a slow or
quick one is the question. And of course, the betrayals along the way.

The most recent betrayal of intravenous drug users exists in the form
of the bill to permit over-the-counter sales of hypodermic needles to
anyone 18 or older without a prescription. Pity the poor diabetes
sufferer who will now endure the indignity of the pharmacist who will
disseminate literature as to how they can seek help for their
addiction, as the drug addict and the patient will be equal in the
eye of the pharmacy. This bill removes the stigma of intravenous drug
use under the guise of attempting to stop the spread of diseases such
as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. It also removes the word "injectable"
from drug laws. But the use of a clean needle one time does nothing
to stop the sharing of needles among injection-drug-users. As any
substance abuse program will tell its clients, the first thing that
happens to a person who: drinks a beer, smokes marijuana or uses an
injectable drug is the loss of the ability to make decisions. All of
these substances impair the ability to reason. Proponents of the bill
such as Sen. Steven Tolman, D-Watertown, states incredulously that
this is not about enabling drug addicts. Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln,
adds that "people who are addicted are going to use drugs anyway -
and we need to provide better provisions for them to stop using
drugs. Clean needles don't encourage drug use, it doesn't encourage
crime, it just makes sense." I played drums in bands for 25 years,
Ms. Fargo. Try naming your band "Free Beer" and see if the club owner
thinks that that is common sense. As we learned from the movie "Panic
in Needle Park," the junkie will do anything to get his or her next
fix. We can also learn this from police blotters. What we can also
learn from junkies is that they cannot be trusted. The Official
Journal of the International AIDS Society published its opinion on
the wisdom of removing the pharmacy regulations a structural
constraints that communities can place on pharmacies. The journal
lamented that state laws presented a barrier that impeded the
availability of syringes. It celebrated that in the state of
Connecticut, after restrictive syringe laws were changed, that the
sale of syringes increased in drug infested areas. This was reported
by the drug users themselves and could be corroborated by pharmacies.
The sharing of syringes was also reported to have decreased. This was
also reported by the drug users themselves. Is this what is referred
to as expert testimony?

The only gubernatorial candidate opposing the Clean Needles Bill is
Lt. Governor Kerry Healy. Mitt Romney has already promised to veto
the bill which must go through the Senate and House one more time.
Romney added that there is no system for the safe deposit of the used
and thus newly contaminated needles which will gather around the
trash cans outside drug stores like they were losing scratch tickets.
Assuming of course that the user dropped it before heading towards
euphoria and sharing it. Indeed, how will the workers at the city
yards know when they are collecting hazardous materials from the
receptacles at the parks where children are supposed to be playing?

Senate minority leader Brian Lees is on record opposing the bill on
the grounds that it sends that wrong message. One that would say, "we
know what you are doing is illegal, but here's a clean needle to do
it with." Exactly, and contrary to what Fargo believes, intravenous
drug use is still a crime. For now, anyway. This bill also helps to
further erode the sense of responsibility that fades with every feel
good piece of legislation that gets passed and especially highlights
the previous failure of the Needle Exchange Program. Proponents of
the bill have promised that it will pass with a veto proof margin.
Well so did proponents of the bill that would have granted in-state
tuition for illegal aliens. That promise lasted until the phone lines
on Beacon Hill burned with the righteous indignation of the citizens
of the commonwealth displaying what real common sense means when you
don't live in an ivory tower. But the citizenry aren't paying as much
attention to what goes on up on Beacon Hill when the Fourth of July
rolls around. "God help Bobby and Helen."