Needle Exchange

How do you feel about cities or counties doing hypodermic needle exchanges to help reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS of drug users? If you think its a good thing where should it be done?
I am somewhat for it however I think there should be a specific location for the exchange and not just anywhere. This is a link to a news story about needle exchanges in a town close to mine, where they go to where drug users would hang out and do the exchange there. They are now finding used needles in city parks where kids play and I am not ok with that at all..
http://www.kcra.com/news/16713177/detail.html

That was very short coverage on it lol. I am sorry but who cares if drug users gets aids? That is their own fault.....the less needles the better...they find needles on the beaches here in Hawaii....kids run around bare foot at the beach!!!

well.
i think its a good idea.. but i agree.. there should be one specific place for the exchange! and, not all drug users are drug users for the rest of their lives... alot of people overcome drug usage.. and its horrible to wish aids/hiv on somebody because they went through a rough patch in their lives. yes, there are WAY to many life long drug users out there, i know, but drug addiction is a very serious thing, its not like oh hey im ready to quit using now, im done.. its not easy to quit.. and im sure those drug users dont exactly enjoy the life they live, but once you are in, its not easy to get out.
its kind of like, giving teens condoms. they are going to have sex. you cant stop them. so atleast educate them on safer ways and make that avaliable to them.

There is advertisements for the city needle exchange all over the place here. Thank god we are moving out of this city in the next few weeks.

I don't know how I feel about it though- obviously having fewer people with HIV (even if they are drug users) is a good thing. But I don't know how I feel about the promotion of the program. I never see any ads for drug rehab or quitting programs, just 'come for your free, clean needles so you can continue to shoot up.'

edit: It is in one specific location here I believe.

Quoting I ♥ my fetus:“ There is advertisements for the city needle exchange all over the place here. Thank god we are moving ... [snip!] ... see any ads for drug rehab or quitting programs, just 'come for your free, clean needles so you can continue to shoot up.'”

yeah i was going to say that but i forgot lol.
i think rehab should also be advertised like the needle exchanges.
but then again, a drug user is going to avoid anything that has to do w/ rehab of course. but there are always those who have been wanting to quit but cant do it alone and dont know where to go for help.

Quoting Paiger [Kaleb's Momma!]:“ yeah i was going to say that but i forgot lol. i think rehab should also be advertised like the needle ... [snip!] ... of course. but there are always those who have been wanting to quit but cant do it alone and dont know where to go for help.”

I know that a user won't see an ad for rehab and think 'hey maybe I should quit,'
but it frustrates me that we have soooo many ads for "does your friend have a gambling problem? get help here" or "pregnant? get help here" but I have never seen "Does your friend have a drug problem? get help here"
These programs are all city funded, and the only city funded drug program I see advertised is the needle exchange. That's not to say a quit program doesn't exist, but it's existance is def. not made known to the general public.

Quoting I ♥ my fetus:“ I know that a user won't see an ad for rehab and think 'hey maybe I should quit,' but it frustrates ... [snip!] ... exchange. That's not to say a quit program doesn't exist, but it's existance is def. not made known to the general public.”

yeah.. thats very true.. and there are so many drug users that WANT to quit.. but dont know how... im sure if it were advertised more.. also.. there is all kinds of FREE help for pregnantgirls, FREE needle exchange, what FREE help is there for addicts besides AA/NA meetings? most rehabs are effing expensive. even if you went to jail and had court ordered rehab, you still have to pay for it! my sister has been clean for nearly two years now and is going to be paying for her rehab for a long time.
lol i love the "pregnant? get help here" billboards out here.. there is some young looking girl that looks all sad. haha. i think they are funny.

Quoting AriJ&?sMommy:“ That was very short coverage on it lol. I am sorry but who cares if drug users gets aids? That is their ... [snip!] ... less needles the better...they find needles on the beaches here in Hawaii....kids run around bare foot at the beach!!!”

WOW, you must not be familiar with addicition. Addiction is a DISEASE. So yes, I care if drug users get AIDS. You should too. Becuase those drug users pass it along to other drug users who have sex with someone who dosent knwo that they are an addict and pass it on to them, then they sleep with someone else and pass it on becuase they have NO idea they had it.

I am all for this safe needle exchange. Anything we can do to reduce the risk of AIDS and there for bring the number of infected people down is good in my book.

My husbands father died of AIDS, so this is something near and dear to my heart.

Quoting Dev22:“ WOW, you must not be familiar with addicition. Addiction is a DISEASE. So yes, I care if drug users ... [snip!] ... of infected people down is good in my book. My husbands father died of AIDS, so this is something near and dear to my heart.”

took the words right out my mouth! Aids can spread thats why we care if a drug user gets aids

I'm for it.

It might promote drug use, that's true. But at the same time, it's cutting down the risk of HIV/AIDS between users & their partners & random people who don't know the person they are sleeping with are users.

They do this in other countries, and the number of people infected are dramatically lower than the percentage of people in America.

Quoting AriJ&?sMommy:“ That was very short coverage on it lol. I am sorry but who cares if drug users gets aids? That is their ... [snip!] ... less needles the better...they find needles on the beaches here in Hawaii....kids run around bare foot at the beach!!!”

You realize that if the Needle Exchange is in place, that cuts down that problem, correct? Because they exchange the dirty needle for a clean one. So random dirty needles aren't laying around everywhere.

People are going to use regardless of the Clean Needle Exchange. That's already apparent. This helps keep the dirty needles off the streets, literally .. not to mention lessen the risks of a deadly disease.

As far as not caring if they get AIDs or not.. what happens if they get clean? On their own? Do you still feel that way?
"Good job on getting clean! Sucks about the AIDs though!"

I dont think that having a place to go to get needles will stop the dirty needles....most the ppl on drugs out here dont have ways to get places...so when its time for their fix, I doubt they are going to walk to get a clean needle. Most ppl know you could get aids from doing drugs and those ppl obviously dont care bc they want their fix. The ones who usually do get clean have some sort of will power and most likely are careful with their needles anyways....the ones who dont care...USUALLY dont get clean. Its their choice, and if they are dumb enough to use dirty needles then thats on them.....they are going to have to live with the mistakes they made.
Now as for having sex and not knowing....you should probably know who your having sex with.  

Quoting AriJ&?sMommy:“ I dont think that having a place to go to get needles will stop the dirty needles....most the ppl on ... [snip!] ... the mistakes they made. Now as for having sex and not knowing....you should probably know who your having sex with.  ”

You have a very distorted sense of addiction. Addicts are not bad people, they have a disease. You would be surprised how many of them actually WANT clean needles, and the only way they can get clean ones is by turning in used ones. This system works, it has been implemented in many other places and has drastically reduced AIDS contraction through needles. I also dont think this promotes drug use anymore than condoms in schools promotes sex. Just becuase you have access to needles dosent mean your going to do more drugs.

My Uncle was acoke addict. He is a good man, and has been clean for years now. He was brought up in a wonderful enviroment with 2 wonderful parents. He was trying to go pro in baseball and was introduced to coke and the rest is history. Just becuase a person is an addict (and an addict is an addict for life, clean or not) dosent make them less deserving of life.

Quoting Dev22:“ You have a very distorted sense of addiction. Addicts are not bad people, they have a disease. You ... [snip!] ... Just becuase a person is an addict (and an addict is an addict for life, clean or not) dosent make them less deserving of life.”

Yea but their "disease" is their own choice. I have known a lot of drug users.....there are a lot that are bad ppl out there. There are many ways to get clean needles out there. Ppl sell them all the time. I never said that a person didnt derserve life...everyone does....but if you choose a life that could kill you anytime rather you have aids or not then your going to live with the consequences.....if your not careful enough to avoid dirty needles when there are ways to get them (bc there are other ways like I said) then that is your own fault if you want to take the risk.

Quoting AriJ&?sMommy:“ Yea but their "disease" is their own choice. I have known a lot of drug users.....there are a lot that ... [snip!] ... when there are ways to get them (bc there are other ways like I said) then that is your own fault if you want to take the risk.”

Actually, addiction can be an inherited disease as well. Sure, its there choice to try the drug in the first place, but I dont think I have ever ever met one drug addict who WANTED to be an addict. Life just spirals away from them.

When you are spending all your money on the drugs, getting clean needles is expensive, hence the needle sharing. Free needles negate this issue.

What is your reason for NOT wanting this needle exchange program? Is there a downside?