Kodiak.Bear@ncar.UCAR.EDU (Kodiak Bear) (07/04/89)
Needle exchange starts next week
by
Ian Robertson
Toronto Sun, June 29th, 1989
(reprinted without permission)
Toronto's long-awaited free needle exchange will be launched by next
week, AIDS program chief Fred Ruf said yesterday.
Ruf said he's "negotiating with community agencies to set up shop"
where addicts go for counselling and help.
"We're not going to spend the rest of the summer looking for a fixed
site," he said. "The need is now.
"By next week I expect to be operational."
Under the $650,000 pilot project, addicts can swap used syringes for
free ones. They'll also get health tips and free condoms.
The new syringes are worth 50 cents each.
A storefront location and mobile unit are planned.
The Anti-AIDS plan is backed by the city and Queen's Park. (NOTE:
Queen's Park is Ontario's Legislature.)
It was approved by council in January to start in March. Council
agreed to spend $330,000. But plans hit a snag when the province
delayed committing half its share. Council said in April the project
should go ahead anyway, trusting the health ministry to pay up later.
Ruf said that since then he's been trying to find the right type of
clinic site. He's talked to several community agencies, whose
"clients are the people we want to reach."
He doesn't plan to publicize the locations "in case the wrong crowd
turns up... and to prevent people being swarmed by the media."
Meanwhile, Dr. Perry Kendall, Toronto's medical officer of health,
hopes to get council approval for a "Get the needles off the street"
community education program. It'll focus attention on the need to
keep needles out of the hands of addicts.
Kendall said parks and works department crews have been
picking up as many as 210 needles a day from beaches and
storm-sewer catch basins.
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...{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!noao!asuvax!f450.n250.z1.fidonet.org!Kodiak.Bearbmkapron@theory.utoronto.ca (Bruce Kapron) (07/06/89)
Because of the controversy surrounding needle exchange programs, health department officials sometime seem reluctant to provide information regarding the mechanics of such a program. Based on the information that I have seen in the Toronto media regarding this city's program, I have doubts that it will be useful. A standard reply to critics seems to be that since new needles will only be exchanged for old, the program will not be encouraging the use of needle drugs. However, if this is indeed the case, I fail to see how the program can be effective. While giving new needles to users (along with counselling) is probably good for their general health, it does not address the way in which the use of needles spreads AIDS -- namely the sharing of needles. Surely the practice of sharing needles cannot be halted unless anyone who may potentially want to use a needle has access to one. This means giving needles without exchange. I also think that it is unrealistic to expect that even regular users are always going to have an old needle to exchange for a new one. I would appreciate it if someone could clear up my confusion on this issue. Bruce Kapron bmkapron@theory.utoronto.ca