Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jan 2003 Source: Lindsay This Week (CN ON) Copyright: 2003 Lindsay This Week Contact: http://www.lindsaythisweek.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2213 Author: Robert Sharpe NEEDLES ARE NEEDED To the editor: Your Friday, Jan. 17 editorial (Needle exchange programs) was right on target. Needle exchange programs have been proven to reduce the spread of HIV 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. Look no further than the United States for tragic examples of anti-drug strategies that are best avoided. United States Centres for Disease Control researchers estimate that 57 per cent of AIDS cases among women and 36 per cent of overall AIDS cases in the U.S. 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. Can Canada afford to emulate the harm maximization drug policies of the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated? Robert Sharpe, M.P.A., Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, DC 20005, United States of America No Canada cannot. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom