Buried deep within the budget (pg. 795 to be specific) released last Thursday by the Obama administration there is a paragraph banning the federal funding of needle exchange programs in the US. This is a complete about-face from Obama's campaign promises, in complete opposition of Obama's new found desire to ensure more national HIV prevention work, and a slap in the face to one of the most effective HIV prevention programs to date. The administration is now saying that they still intend to lift the ban on federal funding of needle exchange programs, but that they just aren't going to do it quite yet. WTF? What is the holdup? It isn't like there is a lack of data and scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of needle exchange programs for HIV prevention. In fact there is much more support for these programs then really any other prevention interventions out there.
The main argument used to justify the lack of funds for these programs is the stupid war on drugs. Basically, by upholding the ban the administration is saying that it is more important to support the war on drugs then protect the lives of people who are addicted to them. In my opinion this is a seriously immoral and shortsighted view that will ultimately lead to many deaths that could have easily been prevented (the needle users, their partners, their partner's partners, and on and on...). Are we really a country where politics and appearances are more important then the lives of human beings?
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this is truly disappointing, especially given the indications as recent as march that he would
"drop 'war on drugs' rhetoric for needle exchanges" http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/16/drug-policy-obama-needle-exchange
of course, compromises must always be made in budgets, but one would hope that these compromises (from the point of view of the writer) would be economically-based. just guess-timating, i would suspect that needle exchanges are incredibly cost effective and as hotstuff points out, at that low cost, they are INCREDIBLY beneficial.
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