Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - November 14, 2005
Haag acknowledged the leadership of both Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian, Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health and Rep. Byron Rushing, Second Assistant to the Majority Leader and long-time champion of this legislation.
Calling Pharmacy Access the broadest HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C prevention measure in 10 years, Haag noted that today, 39 percent of all people living with HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts have a needle-related infection -- either due to their own needle use or the needle use of a sexual partner. Needle-sharing is also the primary mode of transmission for contracting hepatitis C; there are more than 100,000 people living with hepatitis C in Massachusetts. Steroid use also puts people at risk for disease transmission. According to national research, half of those who use steroids use needles to administer them; and a quarter of people using steroids share needles when injecting.
According to Haag, "Over-the-counter sales of syringes will cost the state next to nothing. The infrastructure needed to make pharmacy sales is already in place. On the other hand, HIV/AIDS is a disease that disables and impoverishes before it kills, leaving those infected increasingly reliant on the public sector for care. It's not just good public policy, this is sound fiscal policy."
Although clean needles are available through needle exchanges in Massachusetts, they operate in only four cities: Cambridge, Boston, Northampton and Provincetown. It is well-documented in medical literature that access to clean needles reduces the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C. Studies indicate that HIV rates among injection drug users are twice as high in areas that prohibit over-the-counter sales of syringes compared to areas that do not. Preventing costly and deadly diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C have significant cost savings to the Commonwealth. Lifetime treatment cost for someone living with HIV is estimated to be $400,000. An estimated 22,000 people in our state are living with HIV/AIDS.
Research studies also confirm that access to clean needles does not increase drug use or criminal activity. Many in the public safety community have endorsed this approach. Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley, and Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, testified in favor of the bill at a legislative hearing last spring, and Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating submitted written testimony in support of the measure. Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett also issued his support. Other police commissioners and public safety officials have also endorsed this approach. Studies indicate that safety to police officers on the beat can be enhanced by the prescription requirement being repealed. After deregulating the sales of syringes in Connecticut, needle stick injuries to police officers decreased by 66 percent in the first six months.
AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc., (AAC), New England's first and largest AIDS organization, is dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS by preventing new infections and optimizing the health of those already infected. AAC provides free confidential services to men and women already living with HIV/AIDS, as well as conducts extensive educational and prevention outreach to those at risk of infection. AAC runs the only statewide AIDS Hotline (1.800.235.2331) and Hepatitis Hotline (1.888.443.4372). AAC also advocates for effective science-based prevention programs.
SOURCE AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Inc.
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