San Francisco Chronicle - Friday, October 2, 1992
Greg Lucas, Chronicle Staff Writer

At a City Hall news conference, Supervisors Angela Alioto and Roberta Achtenberg joined a chorus of civic leaders and AIDS activists in vowing to continue supporting Prevention Point, San Francisco's volunteer needle-exchange program. Each week, about 16,500 dirty needles are turned in. About 10 percent of them are infected with the AIDS virus, according to program organizers.

From his honeymoon in Hawaii, Mayor Frank Jordan said he would find a way to establish a city-sanctioned needle-exchange program in January despite the veto of Assembly Bill 2525.

Co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, D-San Francisco, and Diane Watson, D-Los Angeles, the bill would have required state health officials to authorize a three-year pilot exchange program in San Francisco. Proponents argued that the bill could help slow the spread of the AIDS virus by providing drug addicts with clean hypodermic needles.

But Wilson cited a report by the office of National Drug Control Policy, which concluded, "Distributing needles facilitates drug use and undercuts the credibility of society's message that using drugs is illegal and morally wrong." The governor also said there was a lack of evidence that shows that exchange programs curb the spread of AIDS.

Proponents countered by citing a string of studies that show the benefits of needle exchange.

"Every study shows needle exchange saves lives," Alioto said. Achtenberg announced plans for a protest next week on the steps of the state Capitol. Meanwhile, city and county officials will review several options, including a state of emergency, that will allow the city to legalize its own program and spend $150,000 it has set aside for needle exchanges.

The state Department of Health Services said it is waiting for a comprehensive national study by the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

The study, due early next year, includes an analysis of the clandestine needle programs in Berkeley, Santa Cruz and San Francisco.

Besides allowing other localities to create their own exchange programs, the bill would also have:

-- Allowed public health officials, such as doctors and pharmacists, to legally participate in needle-exchange programs. California is one of only 11 states that make it a crime to furnish a needle without a prescription. It would still be a crime for an addict to possess needles.

-- Required that any pilot program be part of a comprehensive effort to reduce the transmission of HIV, including voluntary testing and counseling as well as opportunities for drug abuse treatment.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1992. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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