WyBlog

Needle Exchange fails the test in NJ

In late 2007 the State of New Jersey undertook an ambitious program to provide clean hypodermic needles to intravenous drug users. Public health advocates lauded the effort as a way to stop the spread of HIV and hepatitus. Back then I predicted that the program would fail. As it turns out, I was right. After little more than a year of operation the pilot program in Atlantic City has distributed more than 60,000 free needles, but most of them have not been returned. In addition the secondary goal of diverting the drug addicts to treatment programs has barely made a dent in the city's population of IV drug users. Just 74 addicts have been referred for treatment and most of them reverted back to drug use.

Jon Corzine is looking under rocks to cut wasteful spending from the state budget. He's closing parks, shortening service hours at the DMV, and scrapping state aid to school districts. Yet the state is buying hypodermic needles by the bushel and passing them out to unrepentent drug users. We're paying the salaries of the needle pushers and we're footing the bill to keep records of their efforts. When the drug users show up to exchange their needles they are given free medical and dental care but they are not forced to accept treatment for their addictions. The taxpayers have to foot the bill to fix these degenerates' teeth, but we can't force them to stop taking drugs?

It's a massive waste of tax dollars and it should be shut down immediately. The drug addicts have chosen to abuse their bodies; it's unconscionable that we have to pay taxes to make it easier for them to do so.

Posted at 12:22 by Chris Wysocki   [/rants]   Comments | Archived | Perm Link |   |   Tweet