Similar to what Professor Apps mentioned about how the Surgeon General recommends that everyone carries naloxone, I found this interesting article about the Surgeon General encouraging needle exchange programs. This may encourage people to spark a conversation, increase education and enable community support. Thoughts?
“We want communities to have a conversation about what their risks are,” he said. “That starts with the data. How many are people are overdosing? What their hepatitis rates are — because hepatitis is a marker for injection drug use. Once we do that we need to have a broader conversation about how we respond.”
http://wvpublic.org/post/surgeon-general-supports-needle-exchanges-limit-disease-opioid-crisis
Portugal showed that needle exchange does lower risks while creating a human connection to the addict. Providing clean needles not only reduces risks, but creates the ability to also work towards treatment. It seems as though needle exchange needs to be described as a connection to treatment rather than allowing many to believe it is functioning to enable drug use.
ReplyDeleteFinding a way to prevent the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis is very important. I believe that a program like needle exchange while also connecting people with care is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteLike others have mentioned already, this is a move in the right direction. When dealing with problems that are so widespread such as this, you have to look out for adverse outcomes as well. Diseases are one such outcome that can be dealt with through the needle exchange program.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with the responses above that the Surgeon General’s support of needle exchange program is a step in the right direction. As I stated in class yesterday, the more I read up on the opioid crisis, the more critical I am of the method the United States used to combat the issue. Other countries, who have moved towards decriminalization and legalization have had much more success in attacking the crisis than the way the United States has been operating.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article. To be clear, are these programs for current drug users to use safe/clean needles? It seems to go against the overall US policy of criminalizing drugs. So I'm wondering why this is being allowed but research into drug decriminalization isn't having as much influence at the policy level (besides marijuana in some states).
ReplyDeleteAlso, does anyone know why this wasn't implemented before? Were there economic arguments that it would cost too much to have this program?
I think needle exchange program is merely a health program rather than a political plan. Drug decriminalization demands much more than a needle exchange program.
DeleteAnd yes, needles are expensive. Besides, in the past, government may not work to the right direction. The situation has changed and government is more likely to help addicts rather than arrest them.
I believe that needle exchange programs, like others in class, is a step in the right direction. Like the book and yesterdays document showed, it is better to treat addicts as people with a mental health problem, rather than as criminals/prisoners. If we are attempting to help them and connect them back to society, it is important to start initiating these kinds of programs.
ReplyDeleteI think this program is the right approach, because it is looking at the data within these at -risk communities. Who don't have programs in place already for addicts and have higher rates of people in their communities with HIV and Hepatitis A. Trying to get community support for this program would be so beneficial in many ways. As it would build a community around the addicts, which Johann Hari said in the video we watched in class could help them in their path to rehabilitation or dealing with their addiction. As well as this program could lower the rate of addicts contracting HIV or Hepatitis A. Lastly this article shines a light on how addiction is not something to be criminalized but instead treated as a medical issue.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm not sure about the needle exchange service as it seems to kind of promote the use of injected substances. Although I do understand the positive benefits of the program through the decline in HIV and Hepatitis. I wonder instead of handing out needles the program would be more effective by handing out products that may assist in the addiction recovery process.
ReplyDeleteCommunity support is a great way to battle this epidemic and in this instance, this program could contain dangerous adverse effects of the crisis. I agree with Charlie, though. Seems like there could be a more effective alternative solution than handing out needles.
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