Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International; Thursday April 30 6:48 PM EDT
At a White House news conference, Clinton said needle-exchange programs work best when accompanied by mandatory drug treatment programs, and insisted that more attention therefore should be spent on funding local treatment efforts. Clinton said, "That's why I think it (needle-exchange programs) should remain a local decision and why I made the decision I did, and why I'd like to see this controversy put behind us."
He complained there has been "more heat than light on" the matter. But Clinton confirmed that he understood "the weight of medical research" shows needle-exchange programs "may help to lower the transmission of HIV, and there's no evidence that it increases drug use. "
He said such facts raise the "logical question" of why he accepted the recommendation of his top drug policy adviser, Barry McCaffrey, who opposes needle-exchange programs, over the recommendation of his top AIDS policy adviser, Sandra Thurman, who supports them.
Defending McCaffrey's drug-fighting record, Clinton said: "He believes that the benefits of needle exchange are uncertain and that the message you send out...is...that somehow the government is empowering drug use. There are people all over the country who agree with that."
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