Needle Bill Should Be Signed

Needle exchange programs, which give drug addicts clean needles in exchange for used ones to prevent the spread of disease, are not pretty. But reputable studies show that they can reduce the spread of blood-borne hepatitis, HIV and other illnesses not only among addicts using tainted needles but among their sometimes unwitting sexual partners and the most innocent of victims, their unborn babies.

Last week, legislators sent Gov. Gray Davis a bill by Assemblywoman Kerry Mazzoni (D-San Rafael) that would eliminate California’s ban on publicly operated needle exchange programs. The need to lift the ban seems clear given recent public health trends: One-quarter of new HIV infections in the state are now caused by injection drug use, and half of all pediatric AIDS cases in the country result from a parent’s injection drug use.

Davis is threatening to veto Mazzoni’s bill out of concern that public needle exchange programs could be seen as condoning illegal drug use. He should reconsider. As Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, Mayor Richard Riordan and other supporters of the Mazzoni bill have pointed out, federal agencies have clearly shown that needle exchange programs do nothing to lead nonusers into drug habits. In fact they increase the likelihood that addicts will enter treatment.

Health workers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and a few other cities have been getting around the prohibition by declaring public health emergencies every two weeks and delivering clean needles. But this legal chicanery can’t last. Local governments should not face legal jeopardy while trying to protect public health. Davis should sign the Mazzoni bill and grant them room to work.