San Francisco Chronicle - The Voice of the West, 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94119 - Friday, August 16, 1996 - Page A8
Sabin Russell, Chronicle Staff Writer

Retired four-star Army general Barry McCaffrey, who in March became Clinton's drug czar, was also critical of needle exchange programs used to prevent the spread of AIDS among injection drug users.

But McCaffrey, who serves as Clinton's chief spokesman on drug policy, did not appear to think much of the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement's August 4 raid of the Cannabis Buyers' Club, the San Francisco emporium where AIDS and cancer patients bought marijuana.

He described it to a Haight-Ashbury clinic staff member as "a ham-fisted" raid. But he quickly backed off in a subsequent interview, saying he would not comment publicly on the efforts of local law enforcement.

The 52-year-old general stopped in San Francisco for a whirlwind tour of the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, founded in 1967 -- one year, he noted, before he was wounded for the third time in Vietnam.

McCaffrey heaped praise on the clinic staff members, calling their programs a model for the rest of the nation. "These are beautiful human beings, going out in the community saving lives, one life at a time," he said.

"We have to increase the resources in the treatment of chemical addiction," McCaffrey said.

He also had kind words for San Francisco itself, and for its traditions of tolerance and compassion.

Yet McCaffrey criticized Proposition 215, the statewide initiative that would legalize the medical use of marijuana, popularly believed to ease symptoms of cancer and AIDS and to boosting appetites of those who rapidly loose weight in the throes of illness.

In a sidewalk interview, as young men and women wearing beads and '70s-style bell-bottoms drifted past a circle of security guards in black business suits, McCaffrey said Proposition 215 is a bad idea. "There is not a shred of scientific evidence that shows that smoked marijuana is useful or needed," he said. "This is not science. This is not medicine. This is a cruel hoax that sounds more like something out of a Cheech and Chong show."

It was the first time a Clinton administration official has commented on the California ballot initiative, and it came only hours before Bob Dole was to give his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. It could signal a higher-profile role for the former general, a Vietnam War hero, in a political campaign where Republicans are likely to paint Clinton again as the draft dodger who "didn't inhale."

McCaffrey said legalizing pot for medicinal purposes is particularly unnecessary in light of the fact that doctors can prescribe for the same symptoms Marinol, a synthetic version of THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient of marijuana.

The Clinton aide was not much more supportive of needle exchanges, another clandestine activity that emerged in response to AIDS. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended federal approval of such programs in light of studies that demonstrate they do not lead to increased drug use and may limit the spread of the AIDS virus among drug users and their sexual partners, McCaffrey said he is unconvinced. "The jury is still out on needle exchange," he said.

During a discussion with Haight Ashbury Free Clinics staff members, epidemiologist John Newmeyer told McCaffrey of CDC studies indicating that injection drug users, their sexual partners and their children are projected to account for 75 percent of all new HIV infections. "The scene in the AIDS wards 10 years from now will be completely different than 10 years ago," he said.

Needle exchange programs, said Newmeyer, can serve as "an interim measure to stave off the virus."

McCaffrey indicated he preferred more aggressive efforts to provide drug treatment instead of needle exchanges. Free Clinics founder Dr. David Smith told him that the clinics have an average of 450 potential clients on waiting lists and that 80 percent of those give up before their names are called.
960816
SC960809

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1996. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1996. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .