NEEDLE PLAN CAN LIMIT HIV, CRIME

Regarding Sheryl McCarthy's thoughtful column "City's needle exchange
plan is a shot in the arm": Needle exchange programs have been proved
to reduce the spread of HIV without increasing drug use. They also
serve as a bridge to drug treatment for an especially hard-to-reach
population. Unfortunately, tough-on-drugs politicians have built
careers on confusing drug prohibition's collateral damage with drugs
themselves.

Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains
constant increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive
drugs such as heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts
to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war
doesn't fight crime; it fuels crime. And when politics trumps science,
people die.

Robert Sharpe

Editor's note: The writer is policy analyst of Common Sense for Drug
Policy.

Washington, D.C.