BOARD TO REVIVE NEEDLE DEBATE

RIVERSIDE -- The county Board of Supervisors will today revive a contentious
debate over whether the county should begin a needle-exchange program for
intravenous drug users.

But the proposal by the county Department of Environmental Health has
received a chilly response from several supervisors, and it is one of the
only issues that tends to split the generally unified board.

The board has considered the issue three times over the past year, and each
time the board decided to delay a decision to get more information.

A number of cities and counties across the country have such programs in
place. They allow drug users exchange dirty hypodermic needles for clean
ones in hopes of preventing the spread of diseases to other users who share
the needles.

The last hearing on the exchange program in October ended with county Health
Director Gary Feldman declaring a local health emergency for AIDS and
hepatitis C, a legal step necessary to pave the way for a needle exchange
program.

But before that declaration, a skeptical board voted to delay a decision on
the program before hearing any discussion on it.

The debate pits the philosophies of the county health agency against those
in the county law enforcement agencies.

Feldman feels that the program will help curb the spread of AIDS and
hepatitis C. AIDS attacks the body's immune system, and hepatitis C is a
virus that attacks the liver to the point where it cannot perform its normal
functions. Both diseases can be fatal.

But law enforcement officials, including county Sheriff Bob Doyle and
District Attorney Grover Trask, think the plan effectively sanctions illegal
activity and undermines the war on drugs.

Supervisor Jim Venable said he it opposed to it for the same reasons. He
said he might just be "old school."

"I'm totally against it," Venable said. "The idea that if you can't beat
'em, you join 'em -- I don't believe in that."

Supervisor Marion Ashley, who has not participated in any debates on the
plan since joining the board in January, said he opposes it as well.

In addition, he said he also opposes a program that would allow a licensed
pharmacist to sell up to 30 hypodermic needles to a patient without a
prescription. The board will consider whether to support legislation in
Sacramento that would allow for that, and would increase the penalty for
improperly disposing of needles.

"It's bad for public safety," said Ashley.

There are an estimated 12,000 intravenous drug users in the county,
according to regional health statistics. The needle-exchange program would
be administered by the Inland AIDS Project, a privately funded, nonprofit
group that provides services to people who have communicable diseases, such
as hepatitis C and AIDS.