Pubdate: Fri, 30 Jun 2006
Source: Malden Observer (MA)
Section: A Little to the Right, Please
Copyright: 2006 Community Newspapers Inc.
Contact:  http://www2.townonline.com/malden/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3535
Author: Gene Pinkham
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?143 (Hepatitis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

PINKHAM - PANIC IN NEEDLE EXCHANGE PARK

"God help Bobby and Helen. They're in love in Needle Park." That was 
the tagline from the 1971 movie that launched the career of Al 
Pacino. The movie was, "a stark portrayal of life among a group of 
heroin addicts who hang out in Needle Park in New York City." Pacino, 
who plays "Bobby" is a small time hustler and addict who hooks up 
with homeless girl "Helen," played by Kitty Winn. She becomes 
addicted also, and life goes downhill, leading to a series of 
betrayals. Pacino goes on to play Micheal Corleone and achieve 
superstar status. Real heroin addicts?...not so good. The moral to 
this story is that Heroin Chic is a lie. The life of an addict is a 
downward spiral that ultimately ends in death. Whether a slow or 
quick one is the question. And of course, the betrayals along the way.

The most recent betrayal of intravenous drug users exists in the form 
of the bill to permit over-the-counter sales of hypodermic needles to 
anyone 18 or older without a prescription. Pity the poor diabetes 
sufferer who will now endure the indignity of the pharmacist who will 
disseminate literature as to how they can seek help for their 
addiction, as the drug addict and the patient will be equal in the 
eye of the pharmacy. This bill removes the stigma of intravenous drug 
use under the guise of attempting to stop the spread of diseases such 
as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. It also removes the word "injectable" 
from drug laws. But the use of a clean needle one time does nothing 
to stop the sharing of needles among injection-drug-users. As any 
substance abuse program will tell its clients, the first thing that 
happens to a person who: drinks a beer, smokes marijuana or uses an 
injectable drug is the loss of the ability to make decisions. All of 
these substances impair the ability to reason. Proponents of the bill 
such as Sen. Steven Tolman, D-Watertown, states incredulously that 
this is not about enabling drug addicts. Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, 
adds that "people who are addicted are going to use drugs anyway - 
and we need to provide better provisions for them to stop using 
drugs. Clean needles don't encourage drug use, it doesn't encourage 
crime, it just makes sense." I played drums in bands for 25 years, 
Ms. Fargo. Try naming your band "Free Beer" and see if the club owner 
thinks that that is common sense. As we learned from the movie "Panic 
in Needle Park," the junkie will do anything to get his or her next 
fix. We can also learn this from police blotters. What we can also 
learn from junkies is that they cannot be trusted. The Official 
Journal of the International AIDS Society published its opinion on 
the wisdom of removing the pharmacy regulations a structural 
constraints that communities can place on pharmacies. The journal 
lamented that state laws presented a barrier that impeded the 
availability of syringes. It celebrated that in the state of 
Connecticut, after restrictive syringe laws were changed, that the 
sale of syringes increased in drug infested areas. This was reported 
by the drug users themselves and could be corroborated by pharmacies. 
The sharing of syringes was also reported to have decreased. This was 
also reported by the drug users themselves. Is this what is referred 
to as expert testimony?

The only gubernatorial candidate opposing the Clean Needles Bill is 
Lt. Governor Kerry Healy. Mitt Romney has already promised to veto 
the bill which must go through the Senate and House one more time. 
Romney added that there is no system for the safe deposit of the used 
and thus newly contaminated needles which will gather around the 
trash cans outside drug stores like they were losing scratch tickets. 
Assuming of course that the user dropped it before heading towards 
euphoria and sharing it. Indeed, how will the workers at the city 
yards know when they are collecting hazardous materials from the 
receptacles at the parks where children are supposed to be playing?

Senate minority leader Brian Lees is on record opposing the bill on 
the grounds that it sends that wrong message. One that would say, "we 
know what you are doing is illegal, but here's a clean needle to do 
it with." Exactly, and contrary to what Fargo believes, intravenous 
drug use is still a crime. For now, anyway. This bill also helps to 
further erode the sense of responsibility that fades with every feel 
good piece of legislation that gets passed and especially highlights 
the previous failure of the Needle Exchange Program. Proponents of 
the bill have promised that it will pass with a veto proof margin. 
Well so did proponents of the bill that would have granted in-state 
tuition for illegal aliens. That promise lasted until the phone lines 
on Beacon Hill burned with the righteous indignation of the citizens 
of the commonwealth displaying what real common sense means when you 
don't live in an ivory tower. But the citizenry aren't paying as much 
attention to what goes on up on Beacon Hill when the Fourth of July 
rolls around. "God help Bobby and Helen."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman