Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - Wednesday, November 24, 1993
Kate Taylor, Chronicle Correspondent
Marin's program will be patterned after one set up in San Francisco earlier this year and will put Marin at odds with state law regulating the use of hypodermic needles.
The proposal was introduced by Supervisor Gary Giacomini and drew support from public health experts who noted that Marin has the second-highest per capita rate of HIV infection in the state.
"Many people will die if we don't do this," said Giacomini, who added that Governor Wilson has opposed legislation to legalize such exchange programs.
"We had hoped that state legislation would have taken care of this. Tragically, Wilson saw it a different way. Now, we have no other recourse."
Supervisors Hal Brown and Annette Rose joined Giacomini in approving the proposal. Supervisors Robert Roumiguiere and Brady Bevis did not attend yesterday's meeting.
The three supervisors voting for the proposal defended it by pointing to the catastrophic spread of AIDS in Marin.
Nearly 1,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in Marin County, according to public health officials. About 500 people have died and another 500 are living with the virus.
The number of needle-related AIDS cases has doubled in Marin since 1992, statistics show. Of 141 new cases reported last year, 50 were linked to drug users sharing hypodermic needles. This year, 121 of 276 newly reported cases are related to intravenous drug use.
"This is a great day," said Dr. Milton Estes, a private physician who drafted the proposal for Giacomini. "This is our chance to prevent a major tragedy and save lives."
Tom Peters, director of the county Health and Human Services Department, told supervisors that medical research shows that needle-exchange programs decrease the spread of HIV infection and do not increase the use of intravenous drugs.
Health officials hope to have needle-exchange carts on the streets within 30 days, said Peters, adding that the costs will be "minimal."
The supervisors' action makes Marin the second county in California offering clean syringes for used ones. In March, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors established a similar program, which also operates in violation of state law.
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