NEEDLE EXCHANGE CUTS DOWN ON HIV

Needle exchange has been proven to reduce the spread of HIV without
increasing drug use. It also serves as a bridge to drug treatment for
an especially hard-to-reach population. Drug users are not the only
beneficiaries. U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers estimate
that 57 percent of AIDS cases among women and 36 percent of overall
AIDS cases in the United States are linked to injection drug use or
sex with partners who inject drugs. This easily preventable
public-health crisis is a direct result of zero-tolerance laws that
restrict access to clean syringes. In the interest of containing the
HIV epidemic, let's hope New Jersey's tough-on-drugs politicians
acknowledge the drug war's tremendous collateral damage sooner rather
than later.

- - RobertSharpe, policy analyst

CommonSense for DrugPolicy

Arlington,
Va.