Needle Exchange Programs Saving Money and Lives by Lauren Rice

A 20 year old girl who was first introduced to drugs when she was only 14, just on the brink of entering the world of opportunity in one of the richest nations in the world, was exposed to Hepatitis C after sharing a dirty syringe to inject heroine. Instead of entering the world as a young person with a bright future that could have made a difference, she died at age 22 after a long struggle with the disease. While her drug abuse was in issue, life potential was lost because she did not have access to clean syringes.

On the other side of the country, the wife of an American soldier buried the love of her life, not from death in combat, but from HIV. He contracted HIV from a shared needle after he fell into addiction to cope with posttraumatic stress disorder.

This nation’s young, this nation’s heroes and this nation’s citizens are suffering. It is not debatable that this nation has a drug problem. And Colorado, while at the top of the list for healthiest states, is not immune. We, like the rest of the nation are loosing our nation’s brave and the innovators of tomorrow through something that can be prevented, diseases spread through needle sharing. Amidst talks of budget cuts within city and statewide legislatures, this is one program that should be left untouched and even expanded to improve public health as a whole.

Colorado is one of the healthiest states in this nation. Congratulations fellow Colorado residents, we have made it to the top. However, while we sit at the top of the heath list, we must not forget to take a look at those at the bottom of the health ladder. 80,000 Colorado residents are infected with Hepatitis C and an estimated 70 percent of Hepatitis C cases and 35 percent of AIDS cases are caused by sharing needles with another infected person. While we are one of the healthiest states in this nation, how can we stand idle and watch as preventable diseases are spread through our state?

An underground needle exchange program in Denver has emerged and is fighting to provide clean needles to those who cannot afford them as an alternative to sharing used syringes and spreading disease. Denver is among 186-needle exchange programs in the United States.

SB 189 passed through the State Health and Human Services Committee on April 14, 2010 in a 5-2 vote. Later in 2010, the bill passed through the state Senate and Colorado became the 36^th state in the Union to make these programs legal. It took over a decade of pushing legislation for this bill to finally pass. Colorado is a state, which is relatively progressive in legislation. While we have lead the country in legislation such as legalizing medical marijuana, it seems as though we are almost behind the curve on this one, being almost a decade behind a majority of the country in passing SB 189.

In order to keep these programs running the government must fund them. Fifty percent of these programs around the nation are supported 87% by government finding. This is where the controversy comes into play. Whether the government should one, make this type of program legal, and two, if hard-earned tax dollars should support such a thing.

Skeptics of these programs may be concerned that by providing clean needles, the drug problem will increase. However, studies have shown that these programs do not affect drug usage. If anything, the trend is a decrease in drug use due to access to other resources. A study conducted in 1999 yielded results that those drug users exposed to programs such as these were three times more likely to seek treatment to end their drug use than those who had no exposure to these programs . What these programs have been shown to do is significantly decrease the amount of “dirty needles” on the street and therefore, decrease the spread of diseases among drug addicts in this nation.

I imagine opponents to these programs are worried that that tax dollars may be going to feed the addiction of drug users. However, it is actually saving taxpayers money in the long run. Dr. Mark Thrun, an advocate for these programs, says that one-year worth of Hepatitis C treatment costs on average $30,000. Along side this cost, the average cost of treatment over a lifetime for an HIV patient begins at $119,000 not counting the unpredictable health costs stemming from this disease . For someone on a social medical care system or those using the emergency rooms, this is costing a lot of money.

Not only will these programs save the taxpayers money, but also it will decrease the rates of Hepatitis C and HIV in the state of Colorado, and increase the general health of this state. In a study conducted in 2003, researchers compared 99 cities around the world with and without needle exchange programs. They found that the prevalence of HIV among drug addicts in the cities with these programs fell by 18.6 percent while the cities without these programs saw an average increase in HIV cases among drug addicts of 8.1 percent. Simply put, these programs are working.

These programs are new and will remain in controversy for some time. It is our responsibility as citizens to keep an open mind to these programs and get involved in promoting a healthier community for Denver as a whole. So amidst budget cuts, lets look to the run and leave these programs alone. In time, they will save money and lives.