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The longstanding ban on use of federal AIDS grant funds to support needle exchange programs will soon be history, if the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services of the House Committee on Appropriations has its way. Led by Rep. David Obey (D-WI), the subcommittee left the language which has imposed the ban these many years out of the new bill. According to Obey’s office:
This bill deletes the prohibition on the use of funds for needle exchange programs. Scientific studies have documented that needle exchange programs, when implemented as part of a comprehensive prevention strategy, are an effective public health intervention for reducing AIDS/AIV infections and do not promote drug use. The judgment we make is that it is time to lift this ban and let State and local jurisdictions determine if they want to pursue this approach…
President Obama pledged during his primary campaign to eliminate the ban. Legislation allows the president to do so if certain scientific findings are made, specifically that needle exchange programs do not increase community drug use levels, and do reduce the spread of HIV. These findings were made long ago, and the Clinton administration acknowledged them, but declined to eliminate the ban…
Elimination of the ban will neither increase nor decrease the amount of money the federal government spends on AIDS prevention, at least not directly. What it will do is allow state governments who receive federal AIDS grants to choose whether or not to spend some of that money on needle exchange. Those states which are in the habit of using scientific evidence to guide their policies will undoubtedly support needle exchange.
We have states using scientific evidence? Where? Wha? Who?
Is this an example of “scientific evidence” or rather “objective evidence?”
Science is a precise method. It should always be respected/restricted as such.
It is not science, yet, because no one is gathering the data and/or analyzing them. Having said that there is a organization here in San Diego that provides the service free of charge and they are doing very well. In addition to the needle exchange they also help and services if the “user” wish to use them. They’ve been running even before this announcement.
This news really only surfaced because of the hepatitis news going around lately. My thoughts on this is still up in the air as both arguments seems logical.
I hate the idea of giving needles to addicts to use to continue their habit. But they are addicted, and will be doing it anyway. On the other hand, AIDS is a 100% preventable disease, and I certainly don’t worry about it. So what the hell? Let them have clean needles to shoot themselves up. Michael Jackson certainly did.
So if given a sterile syringe and needle, and person would go looking to score some heroin? Is a strung out junkie going to worry about a clean needle? I don’t get the logic used here. I have liberal views about some illicit drugs, but heroin is bad news for everyone, except the pushers.
Providing clean needles is like the flu vaccination===IT PROTECTS THE PUBLIC.
Using morality solely to repress other people’s freedom is one issue, but when you use morality to injure yourself, well, thats a special kind of stupid.
#4
You’re missing points on both sides. #3 and #5 stated a few already. Your case pertains to the extreme users where they have no clue or sensibility. You do know that there are those that use needles, for whatever reason, but are still sensible enough to not want to catch anything else while using it. Yeah, hard to believe the some junkie can have such thoughts.
The services are anonymous and if you ever have the chance and want to see why some junkie would ever want to trade in for clean needles go visit them for 10 minutes. You be surprise.
Or do nothing and pray to God that things will work themselves out.
Out of curiosity, just what are you trying to say with that picture?
Yeah. The “praying to God part” really helps a lot.
(gentle farting noise)
I propose that we use taxpayer funds to purchase plastic beer bottles for every drunk, because then they won’t be able to smash the glass against a member of the public.
#9–brm==whats your scientific evidence for the utility of such a program?
This is odd.. here in NYC, mobile needle exchanges have been around for what seems like forever. -apparently with good results, -although the “good” part is almost always suppressed by the zero tolerance nazi’s.
i dunno, i’m kinda big on state law having supremacy over fed law..given that the fed’s always have strings attached that allow almost immediate corruption of all involved.
Call me jaded, but to me, all this is, is a bargaining chip to dangle in front of certain republicans. -most of them hate to admit this stuff works and some will go to certain measures to keep the data flying under the radar. (look up mayor Giuliani’s suppression of the data back in the late 90’s for instance.)
IMHO, the Fed’s “drug” powers need to be severely neutered. do a major publicity campaign of the (global) data so the states look like idiots (and the feds for that matter) if they don’t take heed and leave it at that.
obama’s an idiot if he lets this side. it’s just another notch against his long list of broken promises. -and he’ what, only 6 months into his presidency? tisk tisk.
anyway.. that’s all i have to add for now.
-s
Which is worse:
OBAMA breaking his promises, or
BUSH keeping his?
At least some of the people using these services are prostitutes. If a needle exchange decreases HIV in that population then it is a good thing for society at large.
#12
I choose BOTH! 😀
#14–one==you have me there. What was I thinking?
If these guys can buy drugs, why can’t they buy needles?
16,
its illegal to buy needles.
Unless you can show a medical reason, you can not pick up a pack of needles.
#17 – ECA
Did this lady have a medical reason?
18,
she probably used a Cooking needle injector..
FOOL that she was.
Addiction is a disease. It should be treated medically and not criminally.
#10:
I’m just being a dick. The program works, for sure. But why don’t we just legalize the sale of needles?
#17, so it is legal to buy the drugs?
Providing shiny new clean needles is like providing an alcoholic a brand new 2009 Volvo to replace their klunker with bad brakes so they drive safer when drunk.
Where are the statistics on how many of these clean needles are SOLD FOR DRUG MONEY which then then simply borrow or steal clean or dirty needles for?
There’s also another spin, give them clean needles and they keep using. Scare the hell out of them about dirty needles and some of them STOP WHAT THEY ARE DOING, get help, and spread the word there’s a way out of addiction.
Also, the theory that AIDS is 100% preventable by this method is a false claim. First of all AIDS is not one disease, it is a syndrome of 29 different diseases. It is a broader category, a new label for old diseases.
Thus, it is scientifically impossible for a clean needle to prevent all of the diseases listed under the broader category called AIDS when those various diseases listed under that broader term all have different causes.
This leads me to the scientific fact that HIV is a lie.
When you understand that, it completely nullifies the theory that providing clean needles to drug addicts helps save lives.
#23 – Shiny & New – Providing shiny new clean needles is like providing an alcoholic a brand new 2009 Volvo to replace their klunker with bad brakes so they drive safer when drunk.
LOL 😀
PS..anyone interested in Dr. Beck’s original papers he used hand out at lectures back in the late 80’s and 90’s, i located a scan of the paper that was turned into a Visioneer eBook and have it in a naked folder on one of my sub-domains.
both the original exe and the exe zipped up is in that folder.
navigate up to the parent and you will find other folders with pdf’s i made of various tidbits i found during my research as well as some audio mp3’s of lectures of his brainwave research from the 80’s.
search google video for “robert c. beck” to see some of his lectures on the topic. highly informative. the 1hr 56min and 2hr 6min videos are the best. -there is a 45min one as well, but it’s too abbreviated imo.
the tech works. I and my family have been using since late 2007 with results far beyond what i expected. -might come in handy for the flu shenanigans scheduled for this fall.
-s
I’m anti-drug but for needle exchanges.
Needle exchanges save us tax dollars and don’t seem to encourage drug use.
>> bobbo, weighing the balance of harm said, on July 18th, 2009 at 9:39 am
>> Which is worse:
>> OBAMA breaking his promises, or
>> BUSH keeping his?
It depends on the promise, I suppose.
I forget. Did Bush promise to get American into a trillion-dollar needless quagmire in Iraq?
If so, that’s a promise I wish he’d broken.
#12 – at least you knew how you were going to get screwed with Bush.
from the article These findings were made long ago, and the Clinton administration acknowledged them, but declined to eliminate the ban…
That’s because the Clinton’s didn’t personally know anyone who would benefit.
#23, Shiney New Guy,
Providing shiny new clean needles is like providing an alcoholic a brand new 2009 Volvo to replace their klunker with bad brakes so they drive safer when drunk.
Not quite. It would more akin to putting seat belts, airbags, and anti-lock brakes on all the existing cars. Shit will still happen, but whatever can be done do lessen the impact helps.
Addicts are addicts. Yes, they will attempt to get their drugs any way they can. If they can be helped to do their drugs safer then great! There will be that much less danger and injury to them.
It is my understanding, as someone mentioned it earlier, that this is a needle EXCHANGE program. You bring in your old syringe and they replace it. I imagine they will give away ones to an addict without one, but not generally.
These clinics can also provide health care and support to get someone off of the drugs.
#23,
Shiny New Guy,
Also, the theory that AIDS is 100% preventable by this method is a false claim.
Who claimed it was 100% effective? Can you point to anything serving people that is 100% effective?