DO NEEDLE EXCHANGES MAKE THE CITY SAFER?

Mayor Dick Murphy is confused if he thinks barring needle exchanges will
make San Diego America's safest city. Needle-exchange programs have been
proven to reduce the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C without increasing drug
use. They also serve as a bridge to drug treatment for an especially hard
to reach population. Drug users are not the only beneficiaries. 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 America's tough-on-drugs politicians acknowledge
the drug war's tremendous collateral damage sooner rather than later.

ROBERT SHARPE Drug Policy Alliance Washington, D.