Pubdate: Thu, 24 Sep 2009 Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, CA) Copyright: 2009 Record Searchlight Contact: http://www.redding.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/360 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) IN NEEDLE VOTE, FACTS CARRY DAY OVER IDEOLOGY Here's something you don't see every day: politicians, after studying the facts, changing their minds - and even admitting it. In public. In reviewing the record of a nearly three-year experiment with a needle-exchange program for drug addicts and deciding whether to make it permanent, several of the Shasta County supervisors noted that they still have deep misgivings about the idea - but they voted for it. The program was extended by a 4-1 vote. The qualms are understandable. On its face, the needle exchange amounts to helping heroin and methamphetamine abusers get a fix. Having a syringe without a prescription is against the law in California, so in a sense, the county is supplying illegal drug paraphernalia to junkies. But that's not all it does. The needle exchange also collects used syringes. That way, the dirty, potentially disease-carrying needles are not discarded in parks where curious children can play with them. They're not tossed in the trash where janitors or solid-waste workers risk an accidental stick. They're not passed around - along with life-threatening viruses - among drug users. The county program has a reasonable record of success over the past two and a half years. Figures presented Tuesday by Dr. Andrew Deckert, the county's health officer, show the number of shared needles is down and the number of users screened for HIV and hepatitis and referred to drug treatment is up. (There's not a great record of successful treatment, but that is the county's next target.) Deckert added that Redding police say they've seen no sign of increased IV drug use, while parks and solid-waste workers report seeing fewer improperly discarded syringes. In brief, the program is not increasing drug use but is helping curb the spread of disease - including ailments whose treatment puts vast costs on taxpayer-funded medical programs. Faced with those figures, Supervisor Les Baugh, who was a candidate for the board in 2006 when the pilot program started, noted that he'd have voted against it originally but was swayed by the record. Supervisor Leonard Moty, a former career lawman, said the needle exchange ran counter to all his law-enforcement instincts - but it appeared to work, not least in keeping officers safer from accidental needle sticks, so he'd support it. Their open-minded approach is a contrast with Supervisor Linda Hartman's dogmatism. She acknowledged the program's reported health benefits, but said she still opposed the needle exchange because ... well, just because. This isn't a black-and-white issue. It's a fuzzy line between helping addicts and enabling them. But the best way to make hard calls is to focus on the facts instead of falling back on knee-jerk sloganeering, as so many politicians - especially in Sacramento - are wont to do. We could use a little more of the level-headed pragmatism shown by the county supervisors. Our view: It's an all too rare experience to see political leaders weigh evidence and - shocker! - change their minds. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake