Needle Exchange

In many places there are programs where addicts can exchange dirty needles for clean ones.

some people think that this is a good idea, because even though you're not stopping the people from using, they still have a much lower risk of getting diseases like HIV/AIDS from used needles.

others think that if the person is going to use drugs, that they deserve whatever consequences they receive.

What are everybody's views on it?

i support needle exchanges, and in fact the clinic near me runs a needle exchange program, it also helps protect them against things like HIV and AIDS! so i'm all for it.

Do you have any more information on this?
I mean, do you have to show that you're already addicted, or can anyone just stroll in and be handed a needle?

The idea that addicts deserve whatever they get is awful. No one 'deserves' to get AIDS.

I swear we had a thread on this somewhere but I can't find it anywhere. It must have some weird, obscure title and it isn't showing up on the search. I, reluctantly, support it. Obviously the best option would be to try and help them get over their addictions, but that isn't possible for everyone who has some sort of addiction. The least we can do is prevent disease from spreading.

rehabreject:

No one 'deserves' to get AIDS.

Definitely. And the people who may accidentally get AIDS from them without knowing don't deserve it either. And the kids drug addicted women have don't deserve to be born with AIDS. Even if you're opposed to helping drug addicts, it isn't just about helping them. Alot of society can benifit from it.

rehabreject:

Do you have any more information on this?
I mean, do you have to show that you're already addicted, or can anyone just stroll in and be handed a needle?

The idea that addicts deserve whatever they get is awful. No one 'deserves' to get AIDS.

well here it works like this, you take your needles into the clinic and they replace them with clean ones, i dont think you have to proove that your addicted to drugs.

Ballroom Blitz:

i fully support.
if they gets clean needles no questions asked,
less std's and sti's.
so when the person does get clean - they don't have to worry about that.
or if their drugs makes them go loco and rape someone,
they'd [the victim] be clean. for the most part.

i totaly agree with you.
Its better for them that way, and also for the victims if something does happen, which we hope wont everyone should be a given a chance to be somewhat 'clean' even when they're addicts

It is a good program. God knows how many lives are destroyed from even picking up multi-used needles.

One of my schoolmates did when he was 9 and he got Hep. B from it. They did a check on the blood still in the needle and there was three different types of blood, one of which had Hep. B.

Little Miss Timelord:

It is a good program. God knows how many lives are destroyed from even picking up multi-used needles.

One of my schoolmates did when he was 9 and he got Hep. B from it. They did a check on the blood still in the needle and there was three different types of blood, one of which had Hep. B.

Thats pretty bad. I hope they treat it...and the other two who Might have gotten that disease aswell.

Some doctor in Spain I think, who infect 217 people with Hepititis C fom reusing his needles. Four people died. He got sentenced to 1,992 year in prison or something like that. I've always considered imprisonments of that sort ridiculous, isn't 'life in prison' a more sensible verdict?

Anji:

Some doctor in Spain I think, who infect 217 people with Hepititis C fom reusing his needles. Four people died. He got sentenced to 1,992 year in prison or something like that. I've always considered imprisonments of that sort ridiculous, isn't 'life in prison' a more sensible verdict?

Yeah, i mean, unless they like, freeze him, he'll never finish that sentence.

Anji:

Some doctor in Spain I think, who infect 217 people with Hepititis C fom reusing his needles. Four people died. He got sentenced to 1,992 year in prison or something like that. I've always considered imprisonments of that sort ridiculous, isn't 'life in prison' a more sensible verdict?

Well, I know is some cases you can't give a life imprisonment for a crime, so instead you have to do things like that I guess.

I'm not really sure. I do kind of think that if the person's doing something as dumb as that then they should get a disease. But then again, I'd rather keep the disease level down.

I dont agreee with drug use.

but if people do do it, its probably best that they do it without getting life threatening diseases.

I agree with Rhiannan, I don't condone drug use, I'm not saying people here do, but i think if they do use clean needles it's going to be much better for them.. to prevent them from getting diseases such as HIV.

I agree also that perhaps clinics should offer help. I'm not sure if they do.

There is no bad thing about it.
If they're already addicts, they should have atleast clean needles so they don't get all those deseases from the needles.

i think that even though there addicts, they're still people, and deserve to not be treated any diffrently.
they shouldnt have to suffer with the drug addiction, but they really shouldnt suffer with a disease as well.
so i think they should get clean needles

Spazzy_McSpazzerson!:

I agree that people should do what they can to stop them from getting diseases because they are still people..

..but isn't a needle exchange a bit of a stupid idea?

I mean, imagine this...
There's a guy going around raping young children and instead of people saying, we're going to lock you up, they says, here are some condoms so you don't spread any infection...

That wouldn't be right, would it?


I think needle exchange would be stupid as one of the main reason people stop or never start taking drugs is because of the diseases they could cause..but if people are eliminating them, people are being encouraged to take drugs.

But a rapist is harming other people physically. A drug addict is only harming his or herself, unless of course they do get these diseases. Then they have the potential to spread them and infect more people. I know there is drug related crime and that promoting drug use isn't a good thing, but I think preventing the spread of diseases is more important.

I Am So Beautiful! FUCK!:

I do kind of think that if the person's doing something as dumb as that then they should get a disease.

Excuse me? Of course it's bad to do drugs, but no one on this earth deserves to get a disease like AIDS, not even the person most addicted to drugs on the whole planet. I've never been addicted to anything so I don't know how it feels like but I can imagine that, when you are suffering, when you need the drug, you are so desperate that you don't think about how it might be dangerous to use a needle that has already been used before.

So I fully support this, and I don't think it supports drug use in any way. I mean, people don't do more drugs becuase they get clean needles, do they? The addicts would fix anyway and if they do it with a clean needle it's certainly better than doing it with a used needle and getting diseases.