CONGRESS HOBBLES THE AIDS FIGHT

Washington, D.C., is one of America's AIDS hot spots. A significant
proportion of infections can be traced back to intravenous drug users
who shared contaminated needles and then passed on the infection to
spouses, lovers or unborn children.

This public health disaster is partly the fault of Congress. It has
wrongly and disastrously used its power over the District of
Columbia's budget to bar the city from spending even locally raised
tax dollars on programs that have slowed the spread of disease by
giving drug addicts access to clean needles.

Every state in the union allows some system for providing addicts
with clean needles. But nearly a decade ago, ideologues in Congress
who were unable to derail needle programs in their own states chose
to grandstand on the issue when it came time to pass the District's
appropriation bill. Barred from spending local tax dollars on these
medically necessary programs, the city has limped along with a
privately financed operation that turns away more people than it serves.

Critics offer the same know-nothing arguments. They say that handing
out needles legitimizes drug use -- even though studies here and
abroad showed long ago that the programs cut the infection rate
without increasing addiction. They say that addicts should be offered
treatment instead of clean needles -- even though addicts who want
treatment must sometimes wait for months or even years to get in.
While they wait, they continue to use drugs and become infected.

Congress's ban on even locally financed needle exchange programs in
the District of Columbia is an insult to the city's voters and a
clear hazard to public health. Ideologues, in the House in
particular, need to get out of the way and let public health
officials save lives.