Needle Exchange - condoning drug use or preventing spread of disease?

[Mia]

I am firmly on the side of the latter. Where do you stand and why?

[Matt W]

Prevention of disease. Plus, by actually engaging with addicts, it's easier to give them opportunities to go into rehab.

[CoffeeSaint]

"Eh, a little from column A and a little from column B." --Grandpa Simpson

I don't think it condones drug use for any who do not already use, so the issue is moot, in my opinion. On the other hand, needle exchanges most definitely prevent the spread of disease, and that far outweighs any encouragement they might give to junkies.

[Jack]

If needle exchanges were the only opportunity junkies ever had to score needles, then I'd say they were enabling. In this case, though, it simply assures that they won't be spreading more disease by sharing them. They would still be hooked on junk and able to get needles if there were no exchanges. So I don't see any encouragement there.

It's similar to the argument that by allowing teens access to condoms, we're encouraging them to have sex. What nonsense. Teens will have sex regardless. We want to help them prevent having babies every time they have sex. Condoms make sex safer (not safe-safer) just like clean needles make junkies safer.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Preventing the spread of disease. Just because the government thinks they should be locked in jail doesn't mean we have to.

[another day]

I live in vancouver and we actually have safe injection clinics where users can bring their own heroin and shoot up with nurses and clean needles and all that. Any one who thinsk it's "condoning drug use" is an ignorant anti-drug lunatic. People will use drugs. No one is going to go out and start using heroin because they hear that a new clinic opened up where they can get clean needles. That's not the thing that stops people from starting to use heroin.

i just wish they would put more needle disposal boxes on the streets of my city and that junkies would actually use them. I'm tired of having to avoid dirty needles in the back of my work and having to sweep them up. It's kind of scary considering like 90% of vancouver's junkies have hep c and about 40% have HIV. We have people that walk around with disposal boxes and collect needles so that's good.

Drugs should be a health and safety issue not a criminal issue.

[tivodan1116]

I think needle exchanges are certainly not condoning drug use.

On the other hand, their effect on public health is questionable from a sort of "darwinist" point of view. I feel about this kind of the same way I feel about spending money on AIDS research. No one gets AIDS (and that's one of the main diseases this is trying to prevent) except through their own actions. By helping people to live much much longer after their infection we give them the chance to spread the disease to many others. To put it another way, if everyone who contracted HIV died within 30 days of exposure, would the disease even be a blip on our radar?

I guess what i'm saying is, if you're stupid enough to share needles or have sex with an IV drug user... well, you know...

[Mr. Blue Sky]

That raises a good point. If we lock people up their situation only deteriorates, yet there does need to be ways to curb use of destructive drugs like this.

[Osborn F Enready]

Disease prevention is where I fall.

Education and "avenues" for rehab are the best way to address the issue.

Prohibition is a failure, and it is what is leading to increased dangerous drug users, by its creation and cultivation, stigma and association with its black market.

[Mia]

Quote by: Matt W Prevention of disease. Plus, by actually engaging with addicts, it's easier to give them opportunities to go into rehab.

That's another good point in favor of the program.

Handing out clean needles is not going to encourage drug use, only make it safer.

For those that don't care if 'junkies' are safe from disease, remember that the next nice person you meet, at one time in their life, may have used a needle. Or they may have slept with someone who does.

Diseases spread from the drug using community into the rest every day.

[Mia]

Quote by: Isherwood It's similar to the argument that by allowing teens access to condoms, we're encouraging them to have sex. What nonsense. Teens will have sex regardless. We want to help them prevent having babies every time they have sex. Condoms make sex safer (not safe-safer) just like clean needles make junkies safer.

Yes, it is the same concept and I come down on the same side of that argument as well.

Will you please fix my typo in the title? Thanks!

(what happened to my firefox spell-checker?)

[Mia]

Quote by: tivodan1116 I guess what i'm saying is, if you're stupid enough to share needles or have sex with an IV drug user... well, you know...

Many people hide it.

Then there's the chain effect of whoever you sleep with, you're sleeping with everyone they slept with.

So my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's ex-boyfriend was a needle user without her knowledge. Certainly my boyfriend doesn't know it, and certainly I don't.

So now I'm at risk through no 'stupid' action on my part.

Antibodies take time to show up, so testing isn't fail safe....my point is it affects everyone except for married people who don't stray (or use drugs).

[Cephus]

It condones drug use and needs to be stopped. Drug use *NEEDS* to be dangerous. It *NEEDS* to be deadly. Heck, I'd be all for the government regularly putting out confiscated drugs laced with deadly poison. You never know if the next hit you get may be your last, it would make a lot more people think before using illegal drugs.

Zero tolerance is zero tolerance. You can't have zero tolerance and then hand out needles.

[Mia]

Well, then I hope the next woman you sleep with unknowingly slept with a needle user and you catch something, if that is your attitude. I mean, it's like you're saying drug users deserve to die.

Do you drink or smoke?

[Zhavric]

Quote by: Cephus It condones drug use and needs to be stopped. Drug use *NEEDS* to be dangerous. It *NEEDS* to be deadly. Heck, I'd be all for the government regularly putting out confiscated drugs laced with deadly poison. You never know if the next hit you get may be your last, it would make a lot more people think before using illegal drugs.

Why do it the slow way? Why don't we just get all the people who are holding us back from being a great society and put them in gas chambers?

EDIT: Please explain & justify how you can condone the government depriving individuals of their lives (and possibly property) without due process of law.

[Cephus]

Quote by: Mia Well, then I hope the next woman you sleep with unknowingly slept with a needle user and you catch something, if that is your attitude. I mean, it's like you're saying drug users deserve to die.

Not a problem, I'm happily married in a strictly mutually-monogamous relationship with a wife who was a virgin when we got married. Next?

Do you drink or smoke?

Nope. Never smoked and never would, and I haven't had a drop of alcohol in over 20 years. Next?

[tivodan1116]

Quote by: Mia Many people hide it.

Simple solution as others have said... Don't swap bodily fluids with "many" people.

Then there's the chain effect of whoever you sleep with, you're sleeping with everyone they slept with.

If you and your spouse get blood tests when you get married, therefore knowing the other one is clean, and do something radical like maybe honor your marriage vows, the chain is nonexistent.

So my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's ex-boyfriend was a needle user without her knowledge. Certainly my boyfriend doesn't know it, and certainly I don't. So now I'm at risk through no 'stupid' action on my part.

Unprotected sex with someone whom you are not sure is clean and/or do not know their full sexual history = stupid action on your part.

Antibodies take time to show up, so testing isn't fail safe....my point is it affects everyone except for married people who don't stray (or use drugs).

No it doesn't. It doesn't affect people who abstain from sex and don't use IV drugs. Again - There is no one who gets HIV that does not do so through their own stupid actions. You have proved nothing except that a lot of people are stupid.

In the words of George Carlin, "Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

[Mia]

For single people who desire to have relationships involving sex, the smart thing to do is use condoms or even better, wait three months for antibodies to have time to show up and test for.

What I'm saying is that people are not always this perfect and that doesn't mean they deserve to die.

It doesn't mean we should not do reasonable things to prevent the spread disease among anyone - even drug users who you feel are worthless.

What about the drug user that cleans up his/her life - I would personally rather see them continue on with it w/o a disease that could have been prevented with a simple clean needle.

I think there are some people in ivory towers in here. I do not use nor condone the use of drugs. I do not have casual sex. That does not mean I think those that do are below me or 'deserve what they get'.

For the posters that seem only to care about themselves, these things could still worm into your life. What if your child is not so perfect as you, makes a mistake in having sex with the wrong person and the condom breaks or something - then will you be glad that the needle user somewhere in the chain your son or daughter has now become a part of 'got what he/she deserved?' Or would you wish to God that disease had never found its way into your family?

[luke virtual kh]

The fact that ne comes along with councelling and help to quit, and no pro drugs propoganda, proved that drug use is not promoted. But it is to a degree condoned: overlook, excuse, disregard, forgive, ignore, pardon, tolerate, make allowances for. I think that the main purpose of ne is disease prevention, and secondarily councelling advice and support.

[Cephus]

Quote by: Mia For single people who desire to have relationships involving sex, the smart thing to do is use condoms or even better, wait three months for antibodies to have time to show up and test for.

Or you just take the intelligent route and don't do it. If you choose to do it, regardless of whatever precautions you take, you *ARE* putting yourself at risk. Condoms, even properly used, can and do break, you know.

What I'm saying is that people are not always this perfect and that doesn't mean they deserve to die.

Those who put themselves at risk are going to face consequences for their actions. The only way to avoid possible consequences is not to take the risks in the first place.

I'm not sure why you're so adverse to taking responsibility for yourself.