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Needle Exchange

activists protest exclusion of drug users and sex workers (conference video at http://drogriporter.hu/en)
activists protest exclusion of drug users and sex workers (conference video at http://drogriporter.hu/en)

"You Can't Stop AIDS Without Ending the Drug War" [FEATURE]

The International AIDS Conference in Washington this week saw foreign drug users and sex workers excluded even amidst a rising clamor for ending the drug war to help stop the spread of disease.
needle exchange supplies_2.jpg
needle exchange supplies_2.jpg

Needle Exchange Funding Returns in Senate Appropriations Bill

The Senate has included federal funding for needle exchanges in its Health & Human Services FY 2013 appropriations bill. The House is expected to approve a bill without it, setting up a fight in conference committee down the road.
view of the Acropolis at sunset (wikimedia.org)
view of the Acropolis at sunset (wikimedia.org)

Greece to Hand out Needles, Condoms in AIDS Fight

With the Greek health system shaken by the economic crisis, new HIV cases are spiking, and the government is preparing harm reduction measures, including handing out needles and condoms, to halt the rise.
Needle exchange advocates arrested on Capitol Hill Wednesday (Stephanie Simpson, Housing Works)
Needle exchange advocates arrested on Capitol Hill Wednesday (Stephanie Simpson, Housing Works)

Battle for Restored Needle Exchange Funding Heats Up [FEATURE]

The fight-back to restore federal needle exchange funding stripped out of last year's budget has begun in earnest, with a congressional call-in, actions in a dozen cities, and civil disobedience and dozens of arrests on Capitol Hill.
heroin injection, using tourniquet (wikipedia.org)
heroin injection, using tourniquet (wikipedia.org)

New Mexico Legislature to Study Supervised Injection Sites [FEATURE]

The New Mexico legislature has commissioned a study of emerging and evidence-based harm reduction practices, including supervised injection sites. That could lead the way to a pilot program there. There is also agitation for SIJs in San Francisco and New York City.
800px-United_States_Capitol_-_west_front_0.jpg
800px-United_States_Capitol_-_west_front_0.jpg

Congress Votes to Restore Needle Exchange Funding Ban

Ignoring strong evidence that needle exchange programs prevent the spread of AIDS and other blood-borne diseases, the US Congress has decided to ban the use of federal funds for them.