ACCESS IS CRITICAL IN FIGHT AGAINST AIDS CRISIS

One possible solution to the NIMBY reaction caused by Chinatown's needle
exchange program is syringe deregulation. Allow drug users to purchase
clean syringes in pharmacies rather than a centralized exchange.

Regardless of the distribution mechanism, access to clean needles is
critical. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
58 percent of AIDS cases among women are linked to injection drug use or
sex with partners who inject drugs. Overall, 36 percent of AIDS cases in
the United States can be traced back to intravenous drug use. This easily
preventable public health crisis is a direct result of zero tolerance
policies that restrict access to clean syringes. Punitive drug laws
compound the drug problem by driving use underground. Would alcoholics even
seek help for their addiction if doing so were tantamount to confessing to
criminal activity? Would putting every incorrigible alcoholic behind bars
and saddling them with criminal records prove cost-effective? 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

The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation