News / Education
Clean Needle Drug Abuse
A drug addict can now have clean needles, but there is no guarantee that what is put in it won't kill.
The Associated Press reported in July that Federal money could now be used to pay for needle-exchange programs under budget legislation approved this week by the U.S. House of Representatives. This was a campaign promise made by Barack Obama. However, needle exchange programs have their critics.
Needle exchange programs fall under the "harm reduction" approach to addiction treatment -the approach focus on controlling the harm done by the drug being abused.
Proponents of the harm reduction approach to drug addiction believe that teaching addicts how to use drugs safely is the best approach to curb the negative effects of drug abuse.
However, it seems unlikely that persons in the throes of addiction, and frequently high, will be the best of students.
Rep. Mark Souder stated "providing needles acts as a way for drug users to sustain and support their intravenous drug use and does not address the primary illness of the drug addiction."
In fact, in a growing problem among harm reduction clinics many staff members are using drugs. Several deaths have marked this type of approach to drug treatment.
“Because harm-reduction programs don't force their clients to quit, making employees do so would be "completely hypocritical," said Ms. McQuie, the West Coast director of the Harm Reduction Coalition.
This approach to drug treatment does not effectively stop drug addiction; it only relieves the symptoms of its use. The programs have been successful in stopping the spread of disease from intravenous drug use. The person might have lost everything – family, job, belongings, etc, but at least when he is on the streets getting dope the needles will be clean.
Obviously, anything short of getting clean and staying clean is a big bandage over wounds, that really could heal, were they allowed.
It would make more sense to put this funding into drug treatment program and return drug addicts back to society, productive and clean.
Harm reduction programs do nothing to change the way drug addicts behave. Methadone is a prime example. Methadone clinics operate as a business; they receive incentives from the drug manufactures as well as income from their clients.
The clients are chained like a ball and chain to the clinic – if they miss their daily visit they are beset with withdrawal. It is hardly a life worth living for some, yet this is part of our “risk reduction.”
A risk reduction view of this problem is like trying to perceive details of the world through thick and dark lenses – risk reduction is a shadowy view of a situation with many details, most of them not too pleasant.
Narconon of Georgia provides Drug Rehab and Education.
