We applaud North Coast Assemblywoman Patty Berg's effort to enact AB 2871, which will eliminate the need for counties to declare a health emergency every two weeks to continue needle exchange programs.
The measure has the double benefit of curtailing time-wasting bureaucratic paperwork and helping to promote more needle exchange programs.
We have always supported this county's needle exchange program. Needle exchange is a proven way to reduce new cases of AIDS in this nation. Intravenous drug users are among those at high risk of contracting AIDS, largely through the sharing of needles. When sterile needles are available through county health programs like ours, the risk of AIDS is greatly reduced.
Needle exchange programs do not encourage drug use. Needle users will continue to use drugs often at the cost of their lives, but when they pass their needles around they also can give each other diseases and that costs all of us.
With the exception of 1st District Supervisor Mike Delbar who makes a point of forcing a vote on needle exchange every two weeks so he can stand alone against it, the supervisors have approved of this logical and humane program and we are glad that the program can now go forward on its own.