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Do you support the end of the syringe-exchange program?

Do you support the end of the syringe-exchange program?

  • Yes

    Votes: 15 40.5%
  • No

    Votes: 20 54.1%
  • Other

    Votes: 2 5.4%

  • Total voters
    37

kaya'08

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In the United States, many people diagnosed with HIV are infected by dirty needles used to inject themselves with drugs.

Thanks to the War on Drugs, one of the biggest demographics in US prisons are convicted drug users, in a country that has stigmatized drug use and treats addicts as criminals, treating everything but the root cause itself.

Drug addiction is a very real thing - the prison system has thus far been ineffectual and so has every drugs policy pursued by every President since this problem began.

But now that components of the US government want to pull the plug on the syringe-exchange program, where does that leave us? Does encouraging the use of dirty needles dissuade addicts from taking the drug? What impact will this have on rates of infection across America?

Do you support the termination of the syringe-exchange program?

Congressional GOP Wants To End Federal Needle Exchange Program
 
Do you support the termination of the syringe-exchange program?

I support the federal government stopping its program. I don't think our states chose to form a union so that it could administer a needle exchange program. Any state could establish such a program if they wished. My particular state has such a program. I prefer to keep the federal government focused on federal matters.
 
Do you support the termination of the syringe-exchange program?

Yes. If junkies wish to inject themselves with illegal drugs then that should be their business. The government I.E. we the tax payers should have no part in someone injecting themselves with illegal drugs.
 
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I do not think the government was created to protect all people from their stupidity.
 
If using narcotics is a criminal act, why does the government supply junkies the means to do so?
 
It's addressing a public health risk to reduce overall costs to society.

...I don't see what people dont get about it.
 
It's addressing a public health risk to reduce overall costs to society.

...I don't see what people dont get about it.

Crazy talk! That'd be like giving teenagers free condoms! Oh, wait...

The merits of the program may be debatable. But, I don't think it should be federally funded. If a state or municipality wants to do it - I have no problems with it. Given certain areas and needs, it would probably have a very positive impact.

However, the Federal Government needs to stop thinking that it is supposed to be all things for all people. That's not its job. Protect our borders, enable us to stand united internationally, and make sure the states play fair with one another. Everything else is either a right taken from or given up by the states and our citizens.
 
And when hokeyville stops their syringe program and and 15,000 people end up with aids... I mean who's going to pay for that ****?
 
Yes. If junkies wish to inject themselves with illegal drugs then that should be their business. The government I.E. we the tax payers should have no part in someone injecting themselves with illegal drugs.

"Those junkies" you care so little for get aids from injecting with shared dirty needles. Later they have sex with somebody and give them aids, then they give it to you or your kids. Great thinking, Batman.
 
Crazy talk! That'd be like giving teenagers free condoms! Oh, wait...

The merits of the program may be debatable. But, I don't think it should be federally funded. If a state or municipality wants to do it - I have no problems with it. Given certain areas and needs, it would probably have a very positive impact.

However, the Federal Government needs to stop thinking that it is supposed to be all things for all people. That's not its job. Protect our borders, enable us to stand united internationally, and make sure the states play fair with one another. Everything else is either a right taken from or given up by the states and our citizens.

I agree with you. The reason the states formed a union was that so the union could accomplish task unable to be done my any individual state, such as common defense or eliminating trade barriers between the states.

Any state or local government is perfectly capable of establishing a needle exchange program. They don't need the federal government to do this.
 
"Those junkies" you care so little for get aids from injecting with shared dirty needles. Later they have sex with somebody and give them aids, then they give it to you or your kids. Great thinking, Batman.

Perhaps the solution would be to allow clean needles to be sold at CVS, Walmart, etc. Then no government is involved, and nobody has to use dirty needles.
 
If using narcotics is a criminal act, why does the government supply junkies the means to do so?

Because that policy is formed out of the recognition of the fact that either way drugs are easily attainable, that the illegalization of drugs has not dissuaded nor has it destroyed the supply or demand of illegal substances that, through its use, could lead to HIV infection, which poses an inevitable problem both for society and tax payers money at a whole.

Yes, it is hypocritical that a government that has pursued and continues to pursue the biggest policy failure of our generation, the war on drugs, would run such a program. But that in itself is not an excuse to dismiss the undeniable dangers of allowing HIV infection to spread.

I do not think the government was created to protect all people from their stupidity.

Yet they continue to inject billions of dollars of YOUR money into failed policies from protecting you from obtaining drugs. Its from this very resulting stigmatization and illegalization that has created the need for such programs.

I support the federal government stopping its program. I don't think our states chose to form a union so that it could administer a needle exchange program. Any state could establish such a program if they wished. My particular state has such a program. I prefer to keep the federal government focused on federal matters.

This is understandable, but without federal leadership on this issue how can each state be trusted to instate such a program to help contain HIV infection?
 
In the United States, many people diagnosed with HIV are infected by dirty needles used to inject themselves with drugs.

Thanks to the War on Drugs, one of the biggest demographics in US prisons are convicted drug users, in a country that has stigmatized drug use and treats addicts as criminals, treating everything but the root cause itself.

Drug addiction is a very real thing - the prison system has thus far been ineffectual and so has every drugs policy pursued by every President since this problem began.

But now that components of the US government want to pull the plug on the syringe-exchange program, where does that leave us? Does encouraging the use of dirty needles dissuade addicts from taking the drug? What impact will this have on rates of infection across America?

Do you support the termination of the syringe-exchange program?

Congressional GOP Wants To End Federal Needle Exchange Program

I think that if the federal government wants to end the needle exchange program then the federal government should legalize all recreational drugs.
 
Because that policy is formed out of the recognition of the fact that either way drugs are easily attainable, that the illegalization of drugs has not dissuaded nor has it destroyed the supply or demand of illegal substances that, through its use, could lead to HIV infection, which poses an inevitable problem both for society and tax payers money at a whole.

Yes, it is hypocritical that a government that has pursued and continues to pursue the biggest policy failure of our generation, the war on drugs, would run such a program. But that in itself is not an excuse to dismiss the undeniable dangers of allowing HIV infection to spread.



Yet they continue to inject billions of dollars of YOUR money into failed policies from protecting you from obtaining drugs. Its from this very resulting stigmatization and illegalization that has created the need for such programs.



This is understandable, but without federal leadership on this issue how can each state be trusted to instate such a program to help contain HIV infection?
I agree, the illegalization of drugs has created most of the problems that the fed is now "solving" with funding and programs.
 
"Those junkies" you care so little for get aids from injecting with shared dirty needles.

That is the fault of the junkies for engaging in a activity that can get them aids and all sorts of other diseases. I am well aware that junkies using needle drugs can get aids and all sorts of other diseases.

Later they have sex with somebody and give them aids, then they give it to you or your kids. Great thinking, Batman.

This is one of the reasons you do not have sex with random strangers and why testing and condoms are a must.It is not the responsibility of tax payers to keep these people safe from their own stupidity.Nor is the responsibility of tax payers to bail these people out when their stupidity bites them in their ass. Has it occurred to you that by tax payers aiding junkies in their habit you are only condoning the junky's habit and thus not helping it?
 
We shouldn't be feeding into addictions or allowing for syringe exchange. Heck, they should drug test them all and send them to rehab at the exchange site. Our tax money shouldn't be going to keep those violating the law from getting a disease due to them breaking the law in the first place.
 
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It's addressing a public health risk to reduce overall costs to society.

...I don't see what people dont get about it.

Drug addiction is still a huge cost to society. I have a better idea. Why not just lock people in when they come to pick up free needles? We will feed them for 6 weeks but no needles or drugs in that time.

If they go back out and start using again, we simply allow them to follow their hearts and kill themselves.
 
I agree, the illegalization of drugs has created most of the problems that the fed is now "solving" with funding and programs.

If drugs were legal, are you saying people would no longer use dirty needles?
 
We shouldn't be feeding into addictions or allowing for syringe exchange. Heck, they should drug test them all and send them to rehab at the exchange site. Our tax money shouldn't be going to keep those violating the law from getting a disease due to them breaking the law in the first place.

No. Addiction shouldn't be illegal in the first place.
 
No. Addiction shouldn't be illegal in the first place.

People aren't charged with being addicted, people are charged with using an illegal substance. Addiction or not, if you use illegal drugs you break the law.
 
If drugs were legal, are you saying people would no longer use dirty needles?
Not without exception, but the legalization of drugs would most likely lead to easier acess to cleaner, safer paraphernalia such as needles.
 
If drugs were legal, are you saying people would no longer use dirty needles?

Nahh, that is just what you want him to be saying so you can argue against something.

If drugs were legal there would not be an end around attempt to discourage use by limiting the availability of needles however.. so the instances of dirty needle usage would almost certainly decline substantially.
 
Not without exception, but the legalization of drugs would most likely lead to easier acess to cleaner, safer paraphernalia such as needles.

Also, it would allow drug users access to job opportunities since those caught with drugs go to jail as felons, which means they are discriminated against when they apply for jobs. Not because they're a substance abuser but because they're an ex-convict with a felony on their record.

So what's the point of kicking these drug users off drugs when the drug conviction means they can't get a job to support them? The frustration of which tends to cause them to go back to drugs in order to cope...

Thus the cycle perpetuates itself.
 
People aren't charged with being addicted, people are charged with using an illegal substance. Addiction or not, if you use illegal drugs you break the law.

And it shouldn't be against the law to use recreational drugs. Just because something is against the law does not justify it remaining against the law. Something should be against the law because it violates the public good. And criminalization of recreational drugs does much more public harm than it does public good.
 
We shouldn't be feeding into addictions or allowing for syringe exchange. Heck, they should drug test them all and send them to rehab at the exchange site. Our tax money shouldn't be going to keep those violating the law from getting a disease due to them breaking the law in the first place.
I think the legality of their drug habit is irrelevant. Tax payers should not encourage recreational drug needle use by allowing junkies to exchange their needles or to bail them out when their habit gets them infected with a disease. The fact is junkies chose to engage in this dangerous habit,therefore they should be responsible for their own stupidity.
 
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