As reported by PRI The World, "In a significant break from both Mr. Bush and Bill Clinton before him, Barack Obama is making his support for needle exchange programs official."The United States now officially acknowledges that our priority is to save lives and give our fellow human beings an opportunity to recover from addiction. This week the United States gave its negotiators at the United Nations summit new guidelines: "The US will endorse and support needle exchange programs."
The next logical step for the Obama administration will be to lift the federal ban on funding needle exchange programs, as promised during his campaign. This will allow all health institutions who receive federal funds to offer safe and clean needles to people so they can stop spreading deadly infections.
There is no better way to offer an opportunity to recover from addiction to an injection-drug user than when we have a chance to interact with them and show them how to care for their own health. Needle exchange programs are the number one path to recovery for these Texans.
Today, it is a crime in Texas to distribute clean needles - in fact, the Bexar County DA is currently trying to put an elder clergy member into jail as punishment. But the Texas legislature can change the law this session, bringing Texas into line with the rest of the world when it comes to compassion and saving human life. Get the latest updates on this blog and this site.
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