Pubdate: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 Source: Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ) http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1166939198309770.xml&coll=1 Copyright: 2006 Newark Morning Ledger Co Contact: http://www.nj.com/starledger/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/424 Author: Susan K. Liviostar Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange) LONG BEFORE LAW, SHE WAS FACE OF NEEDLE EXCHANGE As AIDS activists and lawmakers proudly declared Tuesday's enactment of a needle exchange law a "historic day for public health," one woman who worked on the front lines of AIDS prevention in New Jersey a dozen years ago couldn't help feeling heartsick. Though Diana McCague now lives 2,000 miles away in New Mexico, she's often reminded of the people she met in New Brunswick, where she ran an illegal underground needle exchange program. The Chai Project distributed hundreds of thousands of needles from 1994 until 1998, when multiple arrests forced the group to abandon its mission. "Word filters back to me still about individual people I met and where they are now," McCague said. "They're dead." While she's relieved by the new law -- which allows six communities to host pilot syringe-exchange programs overseen by the state -- McCague can't muster much joy. New Jersey was the last state in the country to make clean syringes accessible to drug addicts. "There are some people who would say 'better late than never.' But it makes me feel sad," she said. "It makes me think of the incredible number of people who were sick and all the grief and sadness felt by their families." It doesn't take long for her sadness to give way to anger. "We as a society in New Jersey didn't care," McCague said. "We didn't care because the people who held the power weren't getting HIV. The people who had the power to prevent those infections failed their constituents." In the eight years since the Chai Project stopped distributing needles, 15,000 more people in New Jersey have been diagnosed with AIDS or the human immunodeficiency virus that causes it, according to data from the state health department. The mode of transmission has remained consistent: Then and now, nearly half of all residents diagnosed with HIV and AIDS -- a total of 67,000 people since 1981 -- got it by sharing needles tainted with the virus, or had sex with intravenous drug users who used dirty needles. Few of the people involved in the battle to get the law passed this year witnessed the Chai Project's role in the 13-year-old legislative fight, but two longtime proponents say they firmly believe the underground network left a lasting imprint. "Their pioneering activities were important and did help shape the debate in Trenton," said the Rev. Lisanne Finston, executive director of Elijah's Promise soup kitchen and social service agency. The Chai Project van rolled through the streets of downtown New Brunswick, and as long as they were discreet, local police left them alone. Ultimately, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, on orders from then-Attorney General Deborah Poritz, brought an end to the Chai Project by arresting members for distributing drug paraphernalia. Poritz was appointed by Gov. Christie Whitman, who took a hard line against the needle exchange concept because she said it sent a mixed message to kids that using illegal drugs was okay. "My opinion is they made an example of (the Chai Project) because of political pressure," Finston said. "Sometimes I think the public is out in front and it takes a lot longer for the political process to catch up." Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) said he jumped on the issue as soon as he won election in 1998. The night after the election, he and an aide went to observe the Chai Project in action. "They were involved in counseling and handing out literature and taught the participants how to remain safe, and told them when you are ready, we can help you get help," Vitale said. "It was very well-organized. Diana, and those with whom she worked, were as poor as church mice and were doing this literally to save lives." After that, Vitale, a rookie lawmaker, asked veteran Sen. Wynona Lipman (D-Essex) if he could sign on as a sponsor of a bill she had proposed legalizing needle exchange. When Lipman died in 1999, he became the lead sponsor until two years ago, when Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex) took over. The Chai Project's work "drove me, and others eventually, to confront the issue publicly as a policy initiative," he said. Now that needle exchange is about to move from concept to practice, McCague has some ideas on how New Jersey can make it work. The new law includes $10 million to expand drug-treatment options for needle exchange participants. Working as a private contractor for New Mexico's health department training nonprofit and public health workers who operate syringe exchange programs, McCague stressed the importance of seeing addicts on their own terms, in their neighborhoods. "You need to get out to drug users and have a conversation: What are the obstacles?" McCague said. She said addicts seeking help may fear losing their home or their families if they agree to go in for treatment. Even without the benefit of a state-sanctioned program, McCague, said the Chai Project gained the trust of the people, despite racial and economic differences. Nearly all of the syringe exchange participants were black; the Chai Project members were white. "Really poor black people let us into their homes," McCague said. "It took a while for people to understand that we were doing this because we cared about them."