KFL%MX.LCS.MIT.EDU@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU (11/03/86)
[ Say what? AIDS is not gotten on needles by a group of people
using a needle. It takes exactly one AIDS sufferer to infect a
needle. If its clean before infection, its just as contaminated.
- CWM]
If needles are "controlled" as illegal drug paraphernalia, then
needles will be shared by many drug users. If any one of them had
AIDS, it is likely that many of the users who share a needle with them
will get AIDS. And if any of those users ever share a needle with yet
other users, the new users are also likely to get AIDS. As a result,
AIDS will tend to become very prevalent among users of illegal drugs,
and discarded needles will tend to be very likely to carry the AIDS
virus and to infect children who play with the discarded needles.
Since this is exactly what is happening, I don't see what you are
arguing about. Do you disbelieve any of these facts?
If needles are NOT "controlled", but are freely available at a
market price, drug users will not tend to share needles, AIDS will be
no more prevalent among drug users than among the general population,
and the great majority of discarded needles will not carry the AIDS
virus. Also, needles would be more likely to be used and disposed of
in more reasonable ways, and discarded needles would be no more a
threat to public health than are discarded razor blades.
Perhaps if shaving were illegal and razor blades outlawed, people
would share razor blades and discard them in dark alleys. Perhaps
people who shave would be at high risk for AIDS, as would children who
happen upon their discarded blades.
...Keith
[ Another left-field analogy. Isn't this a rather small band-aid for
a somewhat larger (and different) wound?
If there is a market for it, black-market needles should be just as
available as black-market drugs. The very same forces you claim are
making drugs so available (massive market) should be making illegal
needles readily available. I wonder why not? In any event, I am
suspicious of any 'facts' containing the phrases 'it is likely' and
'would tend to'. -CWM]
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