MORE CLEAN NEEDLES

The omnibus spending bill recently passed by Congress contained at
least one piece of good news for Washington: A longtime restriction
on using local funds for needle exchange programs was lifted.
Removing the restriction was overdue because the district has one
of the nation's highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection,
and distributing clean needles to drug users could help slow the
spread. Regrettably, a nationwide ban on using federal funds for
needle exchange programs remains in place. Congress should follow
its sensible action on D.C. and lift the national ban as well.

Although the federal prohibition has been in effect since 1998, it
is estimated that more than 210 needle exchange programs are
operating in 36 states, with about half the programs using local and
state funds. While these programs are no panacea to the
drug epidemic, some studies show that clean needles can at least
reduce new cases of HIV. That's been true in Maryland, where
injection drug use as the cause of newly diagnosed HIV cases has
dropped from 60 percent in 1994 to below 30 percent as of June 2007,
according to the state's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Despite such progress, conservative Republicans in Congress have
continued to block federal funds for needle exchanges. And for the
past decade, they have also prevented Washington from using its own
tax money for such programs. After regaining control of Congress in
the 2006 elections, Democrats pushed successfully for a course correction.

Local Washington officials could now follow Baltimore's example,
where more than 3 million syringes have been distributed since 1994.
The city's Health Department operates two vans that visit 18 sites
around the city nearly every weekday as well as many evenings and
weekends. Since July (the current fiscal year), the city's needle
exchange program has served nearly 6,100 clients, and more than
163,860 syringes have been exchanged.

Despite progress in reducing needle sharing and other risky
injection behaviors, the battle is far from over. Recent studies
show that Maryland and Baltimore rank second in new AIDS cases among
states and major cities, respectively. But people who inject drugs
and may become infected with HIV or develop AIDS don't always stay
in one place. More federal resources devoted to the struggle would be welcome.