Harm Reduction: Los Angeles County Okays Needle Exchange Program

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Harm Reduction: Los Angeles County Okays Needle Exchange Program
Drug War Chronicle
March 16, 2007




The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $500,000 needle exchange program Tuesday. The board approved the harm reduction measure, which is designed to save lives and dollars by reducing the rate of spread of blood-borne diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis B and C, on a 3-2 vote.

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The city of Los Angeles and seven California counties already have approved needle exchange programs. Los Angeles County has an estimated 120,000 to 190,000 drug injectors, nearly half of whom are estimated to share needles.

The new needle exchanges targeting heroin users will be at the Asian American Drug Abuse Program, Bienestar Human Services, Common Ground-The Westside HIV Community Center, Public Health Foundation Enterprises (and through them, Clean Needles Now) and Tarzana Treatment Centers.

Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Don Knabe voted against the program. "The problem that we have here is you're having the government be in a position of sponsoring a known drug that could lead to death and leads to dependence," Antonovich said. "I would rather put our money into rehabilitation and education encouraging a drug-free society instead of being politically correct and helping addicts remain addicts," he said.

But Supervisor Gloria Molina defended the program, saying its aim is to prevent AIDS. "This is a very simple program that's had unbelievable success, and it's unfortunate (that) it is not supposed to address, and it does not address, the rehabilitation of drug users. All it does is, hopefully, address the issue of prevention of HIV," Molina said.

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n4k33n said:
"I would rather put our money into rehabilitation and education encouraging a drug-free society instead of being politically correct and helping addicts remain addicts," he said.

Yeah, we've seen what happens when they get money - "iPod for clean drug test results!"...that's effective 8)

n4k33n said:
But Supervisor Gloria Molina defended the program, saying its aim is to prevent AIDS..."All it does is, hopefully, address the issue of prevention of HIV," Molina said.

That's all I need to hear. You can't cure HIV/AIDS. Once you get it there's no going back, but you can always work towards ending a addiction.
 
Astavats said:
You can't cure HIV/AIDS. Once you get it there's no going back, but you can always work towards ending a addiction.

True, but you can cut down people transmitting it through dirty syringes.
 
^ Its certainly not the magic bullet, but most people decide to quit on their own, not by coercion. Needle exchanges will help keep people free of disease until that happens. Remember, infected iv users can still spread hiv to the general population with sex.

The morality police say that needle exchanges are wrong, but would is it a good thing to stick to a principle when more innocent people get infected as a result?
 
n4k33n said:
True, but you can cut down people transmitting it through dirty syringes.

you either misunderstood me or I wrote it out incorrectly lol. I meant it in a pro-needle exchange way. I'm all for it, once you get HIV/AIDS it's over, a addiction (though not easy) can always be worked on to be "cured". HIV/AIDS is what needs to be focused on, and the needle sharing is one of the root problems.

My bad, I should have written it out clearer.
 
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^ Depends how much he wants to fuck up his arm. I've had friends use the same one 15 times, but you could hear it breaking through layers.
 
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