Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - Thursday November 6 4:49 PM EST
It quoted a public opinion poll conducted last month when U.S. House and U.S. Senate negotiators agreed to prohibit the Health and Human Services Department from supporting needle exchanges until the end of March 1998.
Authors of anti-drug legislation are considering the issue of the programs, which proponents believe protect illegal drug users against AIDS by preventing the multiple use of potentially contaminated needles. Opponents such as the Family Research Council believe needle exchanges encourage the addiction.
"The United States is virtually alone among advanced, industrialized nations in prohibiting the funding of needle exchange programs," said Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Lindesmith Center, which has cited studies showing such programs dramatically reduce the spread of the virus that causes AIDS among intravenous drug users.
The Louis Harris Poll commissioned by the institute found that 71 percent of adults believe that cities and states and not the federal government should decide how to use the money allotted for HIV prevention. The current law prohibits the use of federal money to carry out needle exchange programs.
Harris pollsters surveyed 1,003 adults by telephone from October 15 through 19. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.
When told that organizations such as the American Medical Association approved of needle exchanges, 50 percent of respondents said they supported the programs, according to the poll. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Public Health Association also support the programs.
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