HaCKeRz KrOnIcKLeZ 3/HaCKeRz_KrOnIcKLeZ.iso/drugs/alert

Text File | 1996-05-06 | 18KB | 383 lines

Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs,alt.politics.clinton,alt.politics.libertarian,talk.politics.misc,alt.society.resistance
From: [e-mail] (David Borden)
Subject: NEEDLE EXCHANGE ALERT from the Drug Policy Foundation
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, 24 May 1995 12:01:14 GMT

  The following announcement comes to you courtesy of the Foundation for
  Drug Policy Awareness / Drug Reform Coordination Network (DRCNet).  For
  more information, e-mail "[e-mail]", or contact: DRCNet, P.O.
  Box 381813, Cambridge, MA 02238-1813; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone].

******************************************************************************

Please copy and distribute.

==============================
         A  L  E  R  T
==============================
from the Drug Policy Foundation
Washington, D.C. * New York

To our online friends and supporters:

Below is the full text of a new DPF "Alert" sent to all 20,000 members as
well as the media and other key contacts. We encourage you to become
informed and get active in reaction to this "Alert" also. For your
convenience, the sections are as follows:

1. Letter to Members
2. DPF Actions So Far
3. Useful Information on the Issue
4. Where/Whom to Write
5. Other News from DPF

== Dave Fratello/Rob Stewart

1. LETTER TO MEMBERS
========================

Dear Friend:

Needle exchange programs have been controversial for years. But now,
scientific evidence weighs solidly in favor of needle exchanges as a
method for reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other needle-borne
diseases.  Moreover, the data do not indicate that the programs increase
drug use.

The development of solid science supporting needle exchanges coincides
with an increased need for the programs. New HIV/AIDS data show that
needle-sharing is becoming the most significant route for the epidemic's
spread, including the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, among
the general population.

Taken together, these facts lead to an important conclusion: It is time
for science to reign in the debate on needle exchange programs. The
programs must be expanded dramatically to curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Federal leadership on this issue is needed, including direct funding of
existing needle exchange programs and seed money for new programs.

It won't be easy to make that happen. But DPF is taking on the challenge.
The issue here is saving lives.

The face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has changed dramatically in the last
year. Drug users, their sexual partners and their children have replaced
homosexual men as the majority of new HIV/AIDS cases. Research by the
Centers for Disease Control concludes that 30,000 of the 40,000 new HIV
infections last year in the United States were related to drug use. More
than 20,000 of those infections were traceable to the sharing of infected
needles.

Though the demographics of HIV/AIDS have changed, federal policy has not.
Each year since 1988, Congress has banned the use of federal funds for
needle exchanges, unless the Surgeon General formally finds them to be
effective. The Surgeon General must conclude that needle exchanges: 1)
reduce the spread of HIV and 2) do not increase drug use.

The Clinton administration has the evidence it needs to begin saving
lives by funding needle exchanges, but it refuses to act. Congress stands
ready to attack, rather than welcome, efforts to check the HIV/AIDS
epidemic with needle exchanges, even though the disease threatens every
American.

The current silence on this issue has deadly consequences in the real
world. Yet it's no secret why the government seems paralyzed on needle
exchanges. Politicians do not want to appear "soft" on drug use. That
political concern seems to prevent leaders from taking a step that
science says will save lives. It's a classic case of bad policy flowing
from the perverse politics of drugs in America.

These days in Washington, all sorts of programs are being cut, and the
proper role of the federal government in local affairs is being debated.
Still, the case for funding needle exchanges remains strong in this
political climate, for two reasons. First, this is a matter of national
public health requiring urgent action. Second, needle exchanges are a
fiscally conservative way to attack the HIV/AIDS epidemic -- each
infection prevented saves over $100,000 in health care costs. Just this
year's 20,000 new needle-borne HIV infections will cost at least $2
billion!

Diseases like HIV/AIDS do not care which party controls Congress. They
continue their deadly spread regardless. A non-partisan, rational
response to the problem is needed, not more bickering.

The good news is that the public is smarter than most elected officials
might think: In a 1994 public opinion poll by Peter Hart Research
Associates, 55 percent of respondents said they favored using needle
exchanges to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. That's one of the clearest
indications yet that it is time for the bi-partisan stalling to end.

In last fall's Alert on our new government affairs program, we promised
you that DPF would act on this issue, as well as several others. The
reason is that needle exchange programs are a cornerstone of harm
reduction policies. As you will see from the news enclosed, DPF has
already been working hard. Our talented staff deserves a lot of credit.
We intend to keep up the pressure, and for that we need your
participation and your support.

Get involved today! Write to the officials listed on the back. Talk about
this issue in your community. And please support DPF with a contribution
to keep us moving forward.

Sincerely,

David C. Condliffe        Arnold S. Trebach
Executive Director        President

2. DPF ACTIONS
================

DPF RELEASES SECRET GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
SUPPORTING NEEDLE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

On December 10, 1993, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention --
and other federal health agencies - recommended federal funding of needle
exchange programs. The basis: A comprehensive report submitted three
months earlier by researchers from the University of California's San
Francisco and Berkeley campuses, conducted with CDC funds. But the CDC's
recommendation was never acted upon; it wasn't even made public. A
congressional committee requested the health agencies' reviews of the UC
research in the summer of 1994, but only got copies six months later,
after promising not to release the information. A Freedom of Information
Act request for the reviews by the San Francisco Chronicle  was denied in
late 1994.

The information blackout ended March 7, 1995, when the Drug Policy
Foundation made the reviews public. (They had been leaked to DPF.)
National news stories featured the documents' release, including stories
on the Associated Press national wire, National Public Radio and the CBS
Morning News. The Foundation also made the documents available to needle
exchange program directors, advocates, and health departments of state
and local governments. For a copy of the 48-page document, along with
press clips, for $5 to cover copying and postage (address below).

DPF BRINGS TOP RESEARCHERS TO CAPITOL HILL FORUM

After releasing the Clinton administration's reviews of the needle
exchange issue, DPF brought top researchers to Washington to explain the
case for federal funding of the programs. The March 10 event in the
Rayburn House Office Building was the third DPF congressional forum on
needle exchanges.

One of the featured experts was Dr. Peter Lurie of the University of
California at San Francisco, who directed the UC study of needle
exchanges around the world. Dr. Lurie presented his report's key findings
and noted that the research meets a two-point test set up by Congress to
permit funding of needle exchange programs. The Clinton administration's
claims that the research is insufficient to lift the ban, Dr. Lurie said,
represent "a legalistic fig leaf" used to justify inaction.

The forum also featured Prof. Edward Kaplan of Yale University, who
designed ground-breaking research of the New Haven needle exchange. DPF
advisory board member Ernest Drucker, from New York's Montefiore Medical
Center, put the needle exchange issue into the broader context of drug
policy. Among those attending the forum were congressional staffers, AIDS
workers, needle exchange coordinators and members of the media.

Also featured at the forum was the premiere of a new video, "Fire in Our
House," produced by Rory Kennedy and Vanessa Vadim of MayDay Media. This
gripping, 10-minute film shows the promise of needle exchanges for
combating HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users, their sexual partners and,
especially, their children. (For a copy, call MayDay Media at (202) 338-
1094.)

3. USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTROVERSY:
=====================================================

AIDS STATISTICS

 * One in three U.S. AIDS cases, and one in two new HIV infections, is
   traceable to needle-sharing
 * More than 20,000 new HIV infections in 1994 involved infected needles
 * Needle-borne HIV is a factor in 71 percent of new HIV infections among
   women, and in 66 percent of the newborns who acquired HIV in the womb

LANGUAGE OF THE FUNDING BAN

Sec. 506 of the FY 1995 appropriations bill for the Dept. of Health and
Human Services (PL 103-333) reads in part: "no funds appropriated under
this act shall be used to carry out any program of distributing sterile
needles for the hypodermic injection of any illegal drug unless the
Surgeon General of the United States determines that such programs are
effective in preventing the spread of HIV and do not encourage the use of
illegal drugs."

FINDINGS OF UC STUDY

In September 1993, University of California re-searchers published the
most comprehensive survey of needle exchange research to date, entitled
"The Public Health Impact of Needle Exchange Programs in the United
States and Abroad." The study was conducted with funding from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the findings:

 * "available [data] provide no evidence that needle exchange programs
   increase the amount of drug use by ... clients or change overall
   community levels of non-injection and injection drug use."

 * "Multiple mathematical models ... suggest that needle exchange
   programs can prevent significant numbers of infections among clients
   of the progams, their drug and sex partners, and their offspring."

CDC TO CLINTON: LIFT THE BAN

The Clinton administration's health agencies reviewed the UC research in
late 1993. The consensus was that the study was thorough and sound. Based
on that fact, and the UC study's own recommendations, the CDC said:

 * "we believe that the benefits of [needle exchange programs (NEPs)] as
   a component of a comprehensive HIV prevention program for drug users
   exceed the theoretical risks."

 * "NEPs are likely to reduce HIV transmission, even though epidemiologic
   studies of NEPs do not definitively demonstrate decreases or increases
   in HIV transmission.... Several findings strongly support the
   conclusion that NEPs reduce HIV transmission."

 * "We conclude that the ban on federal funding of NEPs should be lifted
   to allow communities and states to use federal funds to support NEPs
   as components of comprehensive HIV prevention programs."

 * "We also recommend that states consider the repeal of laws requiring a
   physician's prescription to buy needles and syringes and the removal
   of criminal penalties for [their] possession."

These CDC recommendations were kept from public view by the Clinton
administration, which has failed to act on the health agency's words.
Federal money could go to needle exchanges if the administration
officially found that the programs reduce HIV's spread and do not
encourage drug use.

4. WRITE TODAY!
==================

You can make a difference by writing to the decision-makers in this
controversy. Dr. Philip Lee is the top health official in the
administration with responsibility to act. But you should also write to
your representatives in Congress, along with your state and local
governments, about the need for executive branch action on this issue.

Key points for your letters:

 * AIDS is a public health crisis; needle-borne HIV is spreading
   unchecked
 * scientific evidence shows that needle exchanges can help reduce the
   spread of this disease
 * the CDC has recommended federal funding of needle exchanges and the
   repeal of state drug paraphernalia laws regarding needle possession
 * the 75 community-based needle exchanges operating today need financial
   support; many new programs are needed nationwide
 * saving lives is the issue; silence, inaction and partisanship only
   guarantee more preventable deaths

Dr. Philip Lee
Assistant Secretary for Health
Public Health Service
200 Independence Ave. NW, Room 716-G
Washington, DC  20201
fax: [phone]

The Honorable [name of your member of House of Representatives]
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable [name of your Senator]
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC  20510

5. OTHER NEWS FROM DPF:
===========================

US OBJECTS TO COLOMBIAN OFFICIAL'S SPEECH; DE GREIFF RELUCTANTLY RELENTS,
STAYS AWAY

The U.S. government can't handle debate on drug policy. Silence is
preferred whenever possible. Hence the State Department's demand in
February that the Colombian government justify a scheduled speaking
engagement by Gustavo de Greiff, formerly the nation's prosecutor general
and now Colombia's ambassador to Mexico. De Greiff planned to speak in
Florence, Italy, to the Sixth International Conference on the Reduction
of Drug-Related Harm March 27.

It wasn't to be. After all, De Greiff is an outspoken advocate of
changing the drug laws. In 1993, he came out and said of the drug war,
"The profits are so large that it is a delusion to think that killing or
jailing major traffickers" would make a dent in the drug trade. "In the
end," De Greiff said, "the only solution is legalization, with
regulations to control the market."

De Greiff continued to speak out, and in 1994 DPF congratulated him with
its top annual award. But his Florence speech fell victim to anti-drug
politics between Colombia and the United States. The U.S. government says
Colombia hasn't been fighting hard enough, and in March it took a special
exception from President Clinton to prevent sanctions against the
Colombians. In the middle of that fight, the State Department suggested
that having De Greiff speak out in Florence would make Colombia look bad.
And, of course, there was the implied threat of serious consequences if
De Greiff spread his dangerous ideas. Ultimately, De Greiff agreed to
stay home, to spare his country retribution from American
prohibitionists.

=========================================================================

Please help the Drug Policy Foundation and its efforts to expand the
reach of needle exchange programs.  Because of DPF's matching grant from
the Open Society Institute, each dollar you give counts for two dollars
for the Foundation!  Thank you.  Your contribution is tax deductible.
(Non-members: $25 gets you membership and a subscription to the quarterly
Drug Policy Letter.)

__ $50  __ $100  __ $250  __ $500  __ Other $____

VISA/MasterCard/Amex #___________________________  exp. date ____________

__ I am enclosing $5 extra for the CDC's review of needle exchanges made
   public by DPF.

Contributors of $50 or more:

__ Send me a videotape of DPF's Capitol Hill forum on needle exchanges.

__ No, use all of my contribution for programs.


Working on the needle exchange issue is DPF's first major government
affairs project.  What issues would you like to see addressed next?


Drug Policy Foundation
4455 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite B-500
Washington, DC 20008-2302
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

==============================================================================

The Drug Reform Coordination network (DRCNet) is a non-profit entity
dedicated to getting the word out to activists on what they can do to work
for reform of the nation's drug laws and other related laws and policies.
The Foundation for Drug Policy Awareness is an educational organization
that aims to raise public awareness of issues surrounding drug policy.
DRCNet solicits information from national and state level activist groups
on how people can help them work for reform, and makes frequent announcements
by e-mail, fax, mail and phone to its "rapid-response team".  DRCNet also
publishes "The Activist Guide" newsletter on a monthly basis.  Full
membership in the Drug Reform Coordination Network is $25, and includes
The Activist Guide and membership in the rapid-response team.   Newsletter
alone is $18 for 12 issues, and rapid-response team alone is $10.
(All material is available by e-mail for free.)  For more information on our
publications and educational outreach projects, contact:

DRCNet, P.O. Box 381813, Cambridge, MA 02238-1813
[phone] / fax: [phone] / e-mail: [e-mail]

============================================================================
     Peace       Justice       Freedom       Compassion       Truth
============================================================================

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                               END THE DRUG WAR
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