Pubdate: Sat, 28 Jul 2012
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Evan Wood
Note: Evan Wood MD, PhD is a Professor of Medicine at the University of
British Columbia and a Scientist at the BC Centre for Excellence in
HIV/AIDS.

WAR ON DRUGS PREVENTS END TO AIDS

It's clear that aggressive drug law enforcement strategies by 
governments continue to drive the HIV epidemic

Looking around the massive Walter E. Washington Convention Centre - 
home this week to 23,000 scientists, physicians and members of the 
global community fighting the HIV/ AIDS epidemic - it looks like all 
the invitations didn't go out.

Remarkably, the group among the most hard hit by HIV/AIDS is largely 
absent from the 19th International AIDS Conference. People addicted 
to intravenous drug use suffer extreme human rights abuses under a 
myriad of misguided policies in many areas of the world, and are 
barred entry to the United States. To add further injury, the issue 
of drug addiction has received scant attention at the conference, 
especially when compared to the impact it has on driving HIV infection.

Today, the use of heroin and other drugs account for approximately 
one-third of new HIV infections outside sub-Saharan Africa. And while 
the annual number of new HIV infections has been declining globally 
in recent decades, the rate of new HIV cases has increased by more 
than 25 per cent in seven countries over this time span, largely as a 
result of HIV transmission related to intravenous drug use. Locally, 
much of the dramatic increase in HIV in Canada's first nations 
communities stems from transmission among those living with drug addiction.

Overall, these are promising times in the battle against HIV. The 
scientific community has made monumental strides in treating and 
preventing HIV, with many of the advances pioneered in B.C. Here in 
Washington, the convention's theme is "Turning the Tide Together" and 
its official declaration announces the possibility of the "end of 
AIDS." But we won't end AIDS without addressing the alarming increase 
in HIV among people addicted to intravenous drug use, and this issue 
remains on the sidelines of the global HIV/AIDS response.

There is hope. In British Columbia, we are proving that 
antiretroviral HIV treatment programs and innovative public health 
measures like the Insite supervised injecting facility can stem the 
tide of HIV infections among this population. Research shows that the 
number of B.C. intravenous drug users who have tested positive for 
HIV has fallen from over 400 in 1996 to 50 in 2010 - a dramatic 
decline thanks to harm reduction efforts.

Unfortunately, this is a success story that is distressingly unique 
around the world and, indeed, within the rest of Canada, where 
infections among drug-addicted individuals have remained steady or 
are increasing.

Globally, countries where HIV is spreading most rapidly among people 
who use intravenous drugs share one common bond: They have imported 
the war on drugs and turned it into something even more destructive. 
A staggering one in 100 adults in Russia is now HIV-infected as a 
result of the country's aggressive drug war, which limits access to 
clean needles and even bans the use of methadone. This drug has 
proven to effectively treat heroin addiction and is even listed by 
the World Health Organization as an essential medication.

Clearly, the war on drugs must give way to proven addiction treatment 
and public health interventions to save lives, prevent the spread of 
HIV and create healthier communities. With the average lifetime 
medical costs for each HIV infection reaching approximately $500,000 
in Canada, evidence-based responses to the problem of drug addiction 
also provide a healthy dose of fiscal sense.

A small but determined group of world leaders has emerged to call for 
change. The Global Commission on Drug Policy includes former Latin

American, European and American political leaders as well as 
respected business executives such as Virgin Group founder, Sir 
Richard Branson.

On Tuesday, in Washington, the Global Commission provided a sharp 
lashing for governments that continue to drive the HIV epidemic 
through aggressive drug law enforcement strategies.

They cited the alarming and persuasive data in their recent report, 
The War on Drugs and HIV/AIDS: How the Criminalization of Drug Use 
Fuels the Global Pandemic, which vividly describes the 
ineffectiveness and harms of the war on drugs.

The scientists, researchers, experts and NGOs at AIDS 2012 are on the 
cusp of an audacious but achievable goal - reaching an AIDS-free generation.

As the biannual conference comes to a close, it's important to 
reflect on our incredible success to date and ensure that everyone 
affected continues to advance together - including drug-addicted 
people who have been silenced by their own governments and living in 
the shadows due to criminal sanctions.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom