END THE BAN ON FEDERAL SYRINGE EXCHANGE FUNDING
- End the ban on federal syringe exchange funding.
An honest commitment to reversing the course of the domestic HIV epidemic also includes lifting the federal ban on funding syringe exchange programs. This would allow states to expand this proven harm reduction intervention.
Studies have repeatedly shown that access to clean needles reduces the number of transmissions of HIV between injection drug users and does not increase the use of drugs in the community.
Over two decades of research have shown that syringe exchange programs (SEP) can be highly effective in preventing HIV transmission among injection drug-using populations without encouraging or increasing drug use or resulting in higher rates of crime.
HHS Secretary Donna Shalala issued a [link federal report on this research in 1998. And a federally-funded 1995 report found that needle exchange programs do slow the transmission of HIV and do not encourage drug use.
Countries all over the world have adopted SEP as a strategy in their own HIV/AIDS control plans. The United States, however, lags behind by continuing the prohibition of federal support for this proven-effective intervention, thus denying drug-using populations access to the most effective strategy for preventing injection-related HIV transmission.
Links and Resources
Syringe Exchange Resources: http://www.amfar.org/cgi-bin/iowa/programs/publicp/record.html?record=11#20
Needle Exchange Facts: http://www.aidsaction.org/legislation/pdf/Policy_Facts-Needle_Exchange2.pdf
Does Needle Exchange Work: http://www.caps.ucsf.edu/pubs/FS/NEPrev.php
Reducing HIV infection in Injection Drug Users (IDUs): http://www.fhi.org/en/HIVAIDS/pub/fact/reducingidus.htm
HIV Prevention, Harm, Injecting Drug Use: http://www.avert.org/injecting.htm
Needle Exchange Q & A: http://www.sfaf.org/hpp/qanda.html
1998 HHS report: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/1998pres/980420a.html
1995 Institute of Medicine report: click here
