Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - August 23, 2007
That's great, insofar as it shows that Mayor Gavin Newsom can act in the face of negative publicity. Early morning police sweeps have sent the message to the homeless that Golden Gate Park is not a lifetime campground cum shooting gallery.
Now, about that needle problem. In 1992, Mayor Frank Jordan signed legislation to fund needle-exchange programs. The goal was to prevent HIV and Hepatitis C transmission due to shared needles. Supporters also believed the public would benefit as users returned dirty needles, rather than discarding them on sidewalks, rooftops and in playgrounds.
Needle exchanges have cut down on disease transmission, and they've created a place where addicts can receive food, medical care, flu shots and referrals for drug rehabilitation.
But the "exchange" element isn't working. The answer is not, as Homeless Youth Alliance Chairman Peter Davidson suggests, opening up city-sponsored injection centers where junkies can shoot up. A city that bans smoking in public should not accommodate heroin use.
Instead, it's time for exchange supporters to figure out how to coax the most self-destructive and anti-social residents of the city - not drug addicts per se, but users who blithely drop dirty syringes where they fall - to clean up after themselves. Failing that, supporters should find new ways to prompt other users to pick up discarded needles.
Currently, exchange programs give needles to people who walk in without used syringes for exchange - even though users can buy needles at city pharmacies. Davidson argues that studies show that requiring one-to-one (as opposed to one-to-none) exchanges do not cut down on syringe litter. But if it hasn't worked elsewhere, that doesn't mean the city should not test such a requirement to see if it could work.
This city, more than most, has worked hard to promote the health and welfare of drug addicts. Now it's time for users to pay the city back.
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