Toronto Escorts

Ideology & Needle Exchange Programmes

jwmorrice

Gentleman by Profession
Jun 30, 2003
7,133
1
0
In the laboratory.
This is an editorial from the New York Times. Not a very happy read but an interesting one.

jwm

Ideology and AIDS
Published: February 26, 2005


The Bush administration has contributed to suffering and death through the so-called global gag rule, which prohibits Washington from giving money to any group that performs - or even talks about - abortions. Organizations that provide desperately needed family planning and women's health services have lost their financing. Now there are moves in Congress and inside the administration to apply a similar rule to needle exchange programs. That would be an even more deadly mistake.

Allowing drug users to trade used needles for clean ones gets dangerous needles off the street and minimizes needle sharing. A proven weapon against AIDS transmission, it has not been shown to increase drug use, and indeed may reduce drug addiction by providing a way to talk to drug users and lead them to treatment. It is endorsed by virtually every mainstream public health group.

Getting users into drug treatment is the best way to keep them safe. But the push for treatment - which is expensive and difficult - should come with needle exchanges.

Drug use is not a significant source of AIDS infection in Africa. In parts of Asia, the former Soviet bloc and Eastern Europe, needles are the major source of infection; three-quarters of all newly infected people in Russia are intravenous drug abusers, as are half of those newly infected in China. These are just the places where the AIDS epidemic is likely to explode next. A bumper poppy crop in Afghanistan will worsen the outlook, producing cheap heroin that could turn opium smokers into heroin injectors and thus fuel the epidemic.

Opponents of needle exchanges, mainly among the religious right, argue that the practice muddies the message that illegal drug use is unacceptable, and keeps drug abusers from suffering the consequences of their addiction. By this twisted logic, doctors should refuse to treat lung cancer in smokers. In any case, AIDS infections from sharing needles are not limited to drug users. They infect sexual partners, spreading the epidemic through societies.

While Washington does not buy syringes for needle-exchange programs, it does give money to groups that use other people's money to administer needle exchanges. But some conservatives are attempting to stop even that. The assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement, Robert Charles, warned the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the joint program Unaids, that the organization should not work on needle exchange issues and should remove positive references to them from its Web site, which it did.

Representatives Mark Souder of Indiana and Tom Davis of Virginia, both Republicans, have asked the United States Agency for International Development for details on all financing for programs in which any group strongly advocating needle exchanges also participates. These lawmakers claim that a U.N. drug agency report attacks needle exchange as encouraging drug use. In fact, the report makes no such accusation and endorses needle exchanges.

In the Senate, a member of the staff of Sam Brownback, the Kansas Republican, has compiled a grossly inaccurate chart of programs financed by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria that is subtitled "Immoral, Illegal (with bilateral funds) or Inconsistent with U.S. Foreign Policy." Needle exchanges rank high. At the moment, Mr. Brownback's office says he does not intend to attempt to block these programs. But some newer right-wing lawmakers are considering it.

So far, attempts to eliminate needle-exchange programs overseas seem to have limited support. Many administration officials and conservatives in Congress do not want to see crucial AIDS prevention measures derailed or American support withdrawn from such organizations as the Global Fund. One important test will be what the administration does in early March at the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Last year, United States representatives there attacked the scientific evidence in favor of needle exchanges as unconvincing. This year, the United States should refrain from such attacks - and members of Congress should call off their budding witch hunt.

Washington's antipathy toward needle exchanges is a triumph of ideology over science, logic and compassion. The United States should help pay for these important programs. If it cannot bring itself to do so, it should at least allow the rest of the world to get on with saving millions of lives.
 

slowpoke

New member
Oct 22, 2004
2,899
0
0
Toronto
Peeping Tom said:
The faster this is done away with the better. It seems that if one can afford expensive drugs one can also afford the needle. Besides, needle sharing is good - Darwin at work.
Brilliant! Bravo! What a truly unique and clever analysis. Why didn't I think of that? No! Wait....I think I know why....it's because I'm not a twisted, barking mad fuck...that's why!!
 

irlandais9000

Member
Feb 15, 2004
637
0
16
USA
Agreed, slowpoke, looks like Tom needs a major dose of compassion.

Besides, if he thinks needle sharing only hurts people who participate directly, he is wrong. Needle sharing spreads AIDS and hepatitis, and people who never use drugs catch these diseases because needle sharing had increased the spread of the diseases.

And, another point - Charles Darwin was a scientist who established the theory of evolution. Social Darwinism, on the other hand, is the application of the survival of the fittest idea to the human society. It is a political and social philosophy, not a scientific one. Unfortunately, many people cite Darwin as their inspiration when they advocate abandoning their fellow man.
 

Hard Idle

Active member
Jan 15, 2005
4,959
23
38
North York
I don't know any IV drug users, (at least I hope I don't) but there is anecdotal eveidence that the availability of clean needles doesn't always prevent sharing among the destitute. I think this is because the sharing of needles is a partially a bonding ritual to the users. The fellowship and intimacy of shooting up together and passing the needle must be powerful for people who have cut themselves off from family and other suppoer systems. I've seen interviews of peple who've shared with guys they knew had AIDS.
:eek:
 

papasmerf

New member
Oct 22, 2002
26,533
0
0
42.55.65N 78.43.73W
I just love it when a government say sure you can do drugs.......Just don't kill yourself.
 

papasmerf

New member
Oct 22, 2002
26,533
0
0
42.55.65N 78.43.73W
bbking said:
This is kind of a short sighted comment Papa. Consider the fact that CDC in Atlanta has a case of an HIV infected New Yorker who's immune system was collapsed within three weeks of infection a process that usually takes years. While the CDC hasn't ruled out that this was something specific about the New Yorker that caused the collapse, it still is looking in to the possibility of a new strain of HIV. shudder

Since dirty needles is a major source of new HIV infections why not try to limit this source of infection and possible mutation of this virus.


bbk
No BB
I just can not stand behind the idea of saying go for it just make sure you do not kill yourself. You want to do drugs and shoot up??
You get what you pay for. You pay for self indulgence and risk..... You die you die.

Ya don't like the risk back the fark away and rethink it.
 
Last edited:

Peeping Tom

Boil them in Oil
Dec 24, 2002
803
0
0
Hellholes of the earth
Indeed. Let the medical police do their job for a change and agitate for quarantine measures.

bbking said:
Since dirty needles is a major source of new HIV infections why not try to limit this source of infection and possible mutation of this virus.
 

langeweile

Banned
Sep 21, 2004
5,086
0
0
In a van down by the river
Whatever happened to not doing drugs?
Nobody so far has even raised the issue. How about picking your sorry ass up and stop doing them?
Shit...I guess that would be the logical solution...I hate it when I get so incompassionate. :confused:
 

jwmorrice

Gentleman by Profession
Jun 30, 2003
7,133
1
0
In the laboratory.
langeweile said:
Whatever happened to not doing drugs?
Nobody so far has even raised the issue. How about picking your sorry ass up and stop doing them?
Shit...I guess that would be the logical solution...I hate it when I get so incompassionate.
Thank you Nancy Reagan! :p

jwm
 

langeweile

Banned
Sep 21, 2004
5,086
0
0
In a van down by the river
jwmorrice said:
Thank you Nancy Reagan! :p

jwm
Well what is wrong with not doing drugs in the first place? Jimmy Carter?

I have no problem helping anybody that has gone of the right path. At some point we need to promote not doing drugs as much as a needle exchange program. My worry is that we are getting caught up in fixing the syptoms and not the cause.
Needle exchanges do just that.
 

jwmorrice

Gentleman by Profession
Jun 30, 2003
7,133
1
0
In the laboratory.
langeweile said:
Well what is wrong with not doing drugs in the first place? Jimmy Carter?

I have no problem helping anybody that has gone of the right path. At some point we need to promote not doing drugs as much as a needle exchange program. My worry is that we are getting caught up in fixing the syptoms and not the cause.
Needle exchanges do just that.
Nothing wrong with not doing drugs. I myself don't. However, the 'just say no' approach isn't working very well, is it?

Treat the cause? I wonder what the cause is? Sometimes treating symptoms is the best we can do. One shouldn't disdain doing so.

jwm
 

slowpoke

New member
Oct 22, 2004
2,899
0
0
Toronto
langeweile said:
Whatever happened to not doing drugs?
Nobody so far has even raised the issue. How about picking your sorry ass up and stop doing them?
Shit...I guess that would be the logical solution...I hate it when I get so incompassionate. :confused:

Whatever happened to treating the disease rather than the symptoms? So if you're ditching the needle exchange and putting other non drug users at risk by doing so, then you'd better get out your wallet and fund many more addiction treatment programs so that drug addicts will at least have an outside chance to stop using. There are many addicts who would pay the many $thousands for private drug treatment here in Canada but they simply don't have the cash. Waiting lists for the few publically funded programs are endless.
 

Hard Idle

Active member
Jan 15, 2005
4,959
23
38
North York
langeweile said:
Whatever happened to not doing drugs?
Nobody so far has even raised the issue. How about picking your sorry ass up and stop doing them?
Shit...I guess that would be the logical solution...I hate it when I get so incompassionate. :confused:
That's a great concept langeweile, I feel the same way you do about drugs. However, people are doing it, and those people do sometimes get laid or even come into enough money to use a sex worker once in a while. Therefore, their health problems could be our health problems, and we don't have time for mankind to come around to the wisdom of not shooting drugs.
 

papasmerf

New member
Oct 22, 2002
26,533
0
0
42.55.65N 78.43.73W
Hard Idle said:
That's a great concept langeweile, I feel the same way you do about drugs. However, people are doing it, and those people do sometimes get laid or even come into enough money to use a sex worker once in a while. Therefore, their health problems could be our health problems, and we don't have time for mankind to come around to the wisdom of not shooting drugs.


Do we have time to question the wisdom of having sex with people with track marks?????
 

papasmerf

New member
Oct 22, 2002
26,533
0
0
42.55.65N 78.43.73W
bbking said:
You and I might not sleep with someone with track marks, but we can't rule out all people - just because we might be 5 people removed from the person who had the track marks doesn't mean we are not vulnerable to that person's HIV.


bbk


A valid and acceptable point.
 
Toronto Escorts