Nearly one-in-five new HIV cases are the result of drug users sharing dirty needles, an extrodinarily high number. Some cities have attempted to combat the epidemic by giving free clean needles to addicts in exchange for used ones. These programs are highly controversial in the U.S., with many insisting such programs encourage drug use and increase crime. Should your community be funding needle exchange programs?
Baker Institute, Rice University
Resistance to funding at federal, state, and local levels has hampered the success of NEPs in some areas, but numerous churches and several major private foundations have shown a willingness to fund these proven ways to reduce disease, suffering, and fiscal waste. A spokesman for the Levi Strauss Foundation, which has been involved with AIDS education and treatment since the early days of the epidemic in the 1980s, explained the foundation’s rationale for supporting NEPs. "We didn't pull this out of thin air,” he said. “The evidence is very clear, very strong, and incredibly consistent. The cost-benefit is extraordinary, in terms of how much money is saved by not having to access the healthcare system, not having to rely on insurance for medical services because the services are not needed, [not to mention] the social damage that is avoided, people harming themselves, harming their partners—just by providing a clean needle that costs seven cents. With a small amount of money you can make a real difference. You are putting your money into something that is proven."
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