House to allow funding for needle exchanges?

Published on July 18th, 2009

Posted by Eideard in Health Care, Politics

Daylife/Getty Images used by permission

The longstanding ban on use of federal AIDS grant funds to support needle exchange programs will soon be history, if the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services of the House Committee on Appropriations has its way. Led by Rep. David Obey (D-WI), the subcommittee left the language which has imposed the ban these many years out of the new bill. According to Obey’s office:

This bill deletes the prohibition on the use of funds for needle exchange programs. Scientific studies have documented that needle exchange programs, when implemented as part of a comprehensive prevention strategy, are an effective public health intervention for reducing AIDS/AIV infections and do not promote drug use. The judgment we make is that it is time to lift this ban and let State and local jurisdictions determine if they want to pursue this approach…

President Obama pledged during his primary campaign to eliminate the ban. Legislation allows the president to do so if certain scientific findings are made, specifically that needle exchange programs do not increase community drug use levels, and do reduce the spread of HIV. These findings were made long ago, and the Clinton administration acknowledged them, but declined to eliminate the ban…

Elimination of the ban will neither increase nor decrease the amount of money the federal government spends on AIDS prevention, at least not directly. What it will do is allow state governments who receive federal AIDS grants to choose whether or not to spend some of that money on needle exchange. Those states which are in the habit of using scientific evidence to guide their policies will undoubtedly support needle exchange.

We have states using scientific evidence? Where? Wha? Who?

38 users responded in " House to allow funding for needle exchanges? "

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# 1 bobbo, loves to quibble when all else is obvious said, on July 18th, 2009 at 6:32 am

Is this an example of “scientific evidence” or rather “objective evidence?”

Science is a precise method. It should always be respected/restricted as such.

# 2 The0ne said, on July 18th, 2009 at 6:55 am

It is not science, yet, because no one is gathering the data and/or analyzing them. Having said that there is a organization here in San Diego that provides the service free of charge and they are doing very well. In addition to the needle exchange they also help and services if the “user” wish to use them. They’ve been running even before this announcement.

This news really only surfaced because of the hepatitis news going around lately. My thoughts on this is still up in the air as both arguments seems logical.

# 3 Arnold the pig said, on July 18th, 2009 at 7:03 am

I hate the idea of giving needles to addicts to use to continue their habit. But they are addicted, and will be doing it anyway. On the other hand, AIDS is a 100% preventable disease, and I certainly don’t worry about it. So what the hell? Let them have clean needles to shoot themselves up. Michael Jackson certainly did.

# 4 RTaylor said, on July 18th, 2009 at 7:05 am

So if given a sterile syringe and needle, and person would go looking to score some heroin? Is a strung out junkie going to worry about a clean needle? I don’t get the logic used here. I have liberal views about some illicit drugs, but heroin is bad news for everyone, except the pushers.

# 5 bobbo, seeing you all miss the point said, on July 18th, 2009 at 7:14 am

Providing clean needles is like the flu vaccination===IT PROTECTS THE PUBLIC.

Using morality solely to repress other people’s freedom is one issue, but when you use morality to injure yourself, well, thats a special kind of stupid.

# 6 The0ne said, on July 18th, 2009 at 7:29 am

You’re missing points on both sides. #3 and #5 stated a few already. Your case pertains to the extreme users where they have no clue or sensibility. You do know that there are those that use needles, for whatever reason, but are still sensible enough to not want to catch anything else while using it. Yeah, hard to believe the some junkie can have such thoughts.

The services are anonymous and if you ever have the chance and want to see why some junkie would ever want to trade in for clean needles go visit them for 10 minutes. You be surprise.

Or do nothing and pray to God that things will work themselves out.

# 7 qb said, on July 18th, 2009 at 8:04 am

Out of curiosity, just what are you trying to say with that picture?

# 8 newrepublican said, on July 18th, 2009 at 8:05 am

Yeah. The “praying to God part” really helps a lot.

(gentle farting noise)

# 9 brm said, on July 18th, 2009 at 8:53 am

I propose that we use taxpayer funds to purchase plastic beer bottles for every drunk, because then they won’t be able to smash the glass against a member of the public.

# 10 bobbo, seeing you miss the point said, on July 18th, 2009 at 9:02 am

#9–brm==whats your scientific evidence for the utility of such a program?

# 11 soundwash said, on July 18th, 2009 at 9:27 am

This is odd.. here in NYC, mobile needle exchanges have been around for what seems like forever. -apparently with good results, -although the “good” part is almost always suppressed by the zero tolerance nazi’s.

i dunno, i’m kinda big on state law having supremacy over fed law..given that the fed’s always have strings attached that allow almost immediate corruption of all involved.

Call me jaded, but to me, all this is, is a bargaining chip to dangle in front of certain republicans. -most of them hate to admit this stuff works and some will go to certain measures to keep the data flying under the radar. (look up mayor Giuliani’s suppression of the data back in the late 90’s for instance.)

IMHO, the Fed’s “drug” powers need to be severely neutered. do a major publicity campaign of the (global) data so the states look like idiots (and the feds for that matter) if they don’t take heed and leave it at that.

obama’s an idiot if he lets this side. it’s just another notch against his long list of broken promises. -and he’ what, only 6 months into his presidency? tisk tisk.

anyway.. that’s all i have to add for now.

-s

# 12 bobbo, weighing the balance of harm said, on July 18th, 2009 at 9:39 am

Which is worse:

OBAMA breaking his promises, or

BUSH keeping his?

# 13 chris said, on July 18th, 2009 at 9:58 am

At least some of the people using these services are prostitutes. If a needle exchange decreases HIV in that population then it is a good thing for society at large.

# 14 The0ne said, on July 18th, 2009 at 9:58 am

#12
I choose BOTH!

# 15 bobbo, hoisted on his own petard said, on July 18th, 2009 at 11:02 am

#14–one==you have me there. What was I thinking?

# 16 MikeN said, on July 18th, 2009 at 11:31 am

If these guys can buy drugs, why can’t they buy needles?

# 17 ECA said, on July 18th, 2009 at 11:48 am

16,
its illegal to buy needles.
Unless you can show a medical reason, you can not pick up a pack of needles.

# 18 Jägermeister said, on July 18th, 2009 at 12:20 pm

#17 – ECA

Did this lady have a medical reason?

# 19 ECA said, on July 18th, 2009 at 1:08 pm

18,
she probably used a Cooking needle injector..
FOOL that she was.

# 20 Mr. Fusion said, on July 18th, 2009 at 2:05 pm

Addiction is a disease. It should be treated medically and not criminally.

# 21 brm said, on July 18th, 2009 at 2:38 pm

#10:

I’m just being a dick. The program works, for sure. But why don’t we just legalize the sale of needles?

# 22 MikeN said, on July 18th, 2009 at 2:55 pm

#17, so it is legal to buy the drugs?

# 23 Shiny & New said, on July 18th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

Providing shiny new clean needles is like providing an alcoholic a brand new 2009 Volvo to replace their klunker with bad brakes so they drive safer when drunk.

Where are the statistics on how many of these clean needles are SOLD FOR DRUG MONEY which then then simply borrow or steal clean or dirty needles for?

There’s also another spin, give them clean needles and they keep using. Scare the hell out of them about dirty needles and some of them STOP WHAT THEY ARE DOING, get help, and spread the word there’s a way out of addiction.

Also, the theory that AIDS is 100% preventable by this method is a false claim. First of all AIDS is not one disease, it is a syndrome of 29 different diseases. It is a broader category, a new label for old diseases.

Thus, it is scientifically impossible for a clean needle to prevent all of the diseases listed under the broader category called AIDS when those various diseases listed under that broader term all have different causes.

This leads me to the scientific fact that HIV is a lie.

When you understand that, it completely nullifies the theory that providing clean needles to drug addicts helps save lives.

# 24 Jägermeister said, on July 18th, 2009 at 5:59 pm

#23 – Shiny & New – Providing shiny new clean needles is like providing an alcoholic a brand new 2009 Volvo to replace their klunker with bad brakes so they drive safer when drunk.

LOL

# 25 soundwash said, on July 18th, 2009 at 6:06 pm

#23 stop sniffing the glue..

-however your comment about HIV being a lie is partially true..

(the whole needle thing is waste of white space. there are plenty of diseases (other than HIV) that are spread via needle sharing that justify free needle exchanges.

HIV is just scare tactic and now is nothing more than a huge money making scam.

Care to learn something today?

Their has been a cheap, non-toxic, drug free *patented* cure for HIV/AIDS since the 90’s that is intentionally suppressed (like just about every other “cheap cure”)

That cure is called: Blood electrification

a quick excerpt.

“In the Fall of 1990, two medical researchers, Drs.William Lyman and Steven Kaali, working at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City made an important discovery. They found that they could inactivate the HIV virus by applying a low voltage direct current electrical potential with an extremely small current flow to AIDS infected blood in a test tube”

Google link to patent 5,188,738 detailing Kaali’s procedure

While that method required in-vitro action via surgery, Dr. Robert C Beck figured out how to do it in-vivo, (externally) by applying low volt/low current electrodes over the arteries the wrist.

He did trials outside the U.S. and typically achieved HIV free viral loads in people (PRC count 400,000 down to <100) in 30-45 days combined with blood detoxification protocols.

Coincidentally, this technique seems to kill off just about any viral/bacterial infection. -esp when used with Beck's protocols.

After about seven months of research, I bought one of these gizmos several years ago to check it out. a few months later my g/f (who has a history of cervical cancer-and was cancer free for 10yrs) had twice tested positive on a pap test during a regular checkup in February of 2008.

She used the blood electrifier and followed the other parts of the protocol and about two and half months later, came up negative negative on the pap, and has been "clean" ever since.

Neither one of us has been sick from anything since. -until this past January when we both came down with extreme fatigue and soar throats, -like flu symptoms only 10x worse. (no fevers though) -we could barely get out of bed. never had something like this before.

After almost two weeks of this, we remembered the gizmo. we detoxed our systems (basically just a distilled water fast/flush) and hooked up the gizmo, doing three one hour sessions, and after getting slightly worse, within a day and half we were symptom free.

In my case, the technology works. the only caution i can add is the first time you use it, you will experience major flu symptoms for about two days as resident bugs in your blood die off in droves. (we kinda ignored the detox system flush your supposed to do prior to use) after that, you'll literally feel rejuvenated. it puts "kick in your step" like you wouldn't believe. -my parents swear by it now.

Anyway, so yeah, HIV these days appears to be just a pharma scam in light of this protocol. (as is most likely the case with many other viral based diseases)

I've done a lot of research since 2007 on bio-electric medicine as a whole. the Soviets, (and then) the Russians have done extensive study in this field since the 1950's and have perfected this field of medicine to an art form.

They tested some 30,00-40,000 (likely unwilling) people over 30 years and know extensively, the hazardous effects of EMR (high power electric fields, radar, microwaves, cell phones etc) on the human body as well as how to completely heal almost any ailment with electricity and/or EMR resonance.

They pay their citizens hazard pay for working around any kind high output EMR radiation sources. (high power lines, radar systems, microwave systems, phone switching stations etc) you know, all systems, the authorities here in the U.S. claim are harmless.

No doubt, very soon you will see this method of medicine "break out" -as i have seen a lot of information about it "leaking into" the public domain the past year.

-just have to hope authorities here do not use the weaponized aspects of this tech on us before we are made aware of the medicinal aspects. -being on the receiving end of the ability to "transmit" disease symptoms via EMR would really suck, to say the least.

get the book, The Body Electric (robert o. becker) to read some fascinating science research on electrical medicine.

-s

(much of my ranting about The Electric Universe (Wal Thornhill) stems from this research. IMO, we what have been taught is literally inside out to the real way everything works. -as we all will learn in a few short years.)

# 26 soundwash said, on July 18th, 2009 at 6:20 pm

PS..anyone interested in Dr. Beck’s original papers he used hand out at lectures back in the late 80’s and 90’s, i located a scan of the paper that was turned into a Visioneer eBook and have it in a naked folder on one of my sub-domains.

both the original exe and the exe zipped up is in that folder.

navigate up to the parent and you will find other folders with pdf’s i made of various tidbits i found during my research as well as some audio mp3’s of lectures of his brainwave research from the 80’s.

search google video for “robert c. beck” to see some of his lectures on the topic. highly informative. the 1hr 56min and 2hr 6min videos are the best. -there is a 45min one as well, but it’s too abbreviated imo.

the tech works. I and my family have been using since late 2007 with results far beyond what i expected. -might come in handy for the flu shenanigans scheduled for this fall.

-s

# 27 Greg Allen said, on July 18th, 2009 at 7:58 pm

I’m anti-drug but for needle exchanges.

Needle exchanges save us tax dollars and don’t seem to encourage drug use.

# 28 Greg Allen said, on July 18th, 2009 at 8:00 pm

>> bobbo, weighing the balance of harm said, on July 18th, 2009 at 9:39 am
>> Which is worse:
>> OBAMA breaking his promises, or
>> BUSH keeping his?

It depends on the promise, I suppose.

I forget. Did Bush promise to get American into a trillion-dollar needless quagmire in Iraq?

If so, that’s a promise I wish he’d broken.

# 29 Tim Yates said, on July 19th, 2009 at 4:55 am

#12 – at least you knew how you were going to get screwed with Bush.

from the article These findings were made long ago, and the Clinton administration acknowledged them, but declined to eliminate the ban…

That’s because the Clinton’s didn’t personally know anyone who would benefit.

# 30 Mr. Fusion said, on July 19th, 2009 at 8:03 am

#23, Shiney New Guy,

Providing shiny new clean needles is like providing an alcoholic a brand new 2009 Volvo to replace their klunker with bad brakes so they drive safer when drunk.

Not quite. It would more akin to putting seat belts, airbags, and anti-lock brakes on all the existing cars. Shit will still happen, but whatever can be done do lessen the impact helps.

Addicts are addicts. Yes, they will attempt to get their drugs any way they can. If they can be helped to do their drugs safer then great! There will be that much less danger and injury to them.

It is my understanding, as someone mentioned it earlier, that this is a needle EXCHANGE program. You bring in your old syringe and they replace it. I imagine they will give away ones to an addict without one, but not generally.

These clinics can also provide health care and support to get someone off of the drugs.

# 31 Mr. Fusion said, on July 19th, 2009 at 8:05 am

#23,

Shiny New Guy,

Also, the theory that AIDS is 100% preventable by this method is a false claim.

Who claimed it was 100% effective? Can you point to anything serving people that is 100% effective?

# 32 Mr. Fusion said, on July 19th, 2009 at 8:33 am

#25, sound,

Their has been a cheap, non-toxic, drug free *patented* cure for HIV/AIDS since the 90’s that is intentionally suppressed (like just about every other “cheap cure”)

That cure is called: Blood electrification

And the whole idea is what is called bullshit.

The claim that proof is required before a patent is granted is simply wrong. You only need show that the idea works and a working model (where applicable) can be or has been constructed. The granting of a patent is no guarantee that the products even works let alone the efficacy or safety of that product.

Second the idea that electrolysis will destroy all the bacteria / viruses is also bull. If it did it would also destroy your living cells and kill you. You also have far more beneficial bacteria in your body then you will ever have harmful bacteria.

If you wish to depend upon con artists to “cure” your illnesses then go for it. So far all I could see checking this out are the usual conspiracy sites but no actual proof, ie studies, or even reputable sites promoting it.

Remember, the more extreme the claim, the more flashing lights it has, and the dingier the basement, the more likely it is a fraud.

# 33 MikeN said, on July 19th, 2009 at 9:50 am

So if clean needles are so important, why aren’t the druggies buying them, along with their illegal drugs?

# 34 Sea Lawyer said, on July 19th, 2009 at 6:34 pm

This is why the states should be doing most of the taxation, and the Feds doing significantly less. State and local governments provide most of the services in this country, but the federal government takes a lions share of the tax money and then doles it back out with stupid strings attached.

# 35 soudwash said, on July 19th, 2009 at 8:11 pm

#32 Fusion,

for one, -lol i sounded EXACTLY like you when i stumbled onto this several years ago. i could have signed that as my own response, word for word, and would not have changed a a thing. -esp when your toying with your health.

(initially, i was just browsing around for something help with chronic pain..to cut down my [over the top] use of opiate pain killers, actually. ran across this by accident)

There is a pillar of research and usage in this field that is much older than the patent. sadly, almost all of it is outside the U.S.

(in fact, one company was granted a Class II Medical Device License from Health Canada for a blood electrification device.)

As i stated, the Russians did a lot of homework in this field. i also found that variants of this type of medicine has been use in clinics in a few European countries for over 40 years.

I spent the better part of a year looking into all aspects of it and finally decided it’ll be a cheap lesson chalked up as internet hoax if it amounts to nothing. however, all that i read on the subject indicated otherwise. -i was amazed at how well it works, let alone that it worked at all.

Everyone i turn it on to has also been quite amazed with it’s results and several, either built their own units or purchased pre-made ones. the others just borrow mine.

Trust me, all of those who use it and other parts of the protocol were extremely skeptical when i explained it to them. -typically, they thought i was nuts for even entertaining the idea.

An oversimplified way i can explain one aspect of it, is that it’s just a matter of economy of scale. viruses on average are hundred of times smaller than human blood cells. one might posit that it would take a hundred times less current to negatively effect a viral cell than a human blood cell. -i feel this is in part, the basis of how it functions. (that is my opinion -and (a small part) of what compelled me to try it, -along with my basic knowledge of electronics and harmonics)

You have to do the research yourself to even begin to accept it as possibility. simply applying logic (which is how i operate) won’t cut it. when they say “it’s the journey, not the destination” wow, what an understatement.

Simply, there is so much we are not taught about, or even exposed to here in America, that without having further knowledge on the subject at hand, even the most learned of peoples would have no choice but come to the same conclusion as you did. (as did i upon first examination)

Having a lot of time on my hands lately, (and it being science in nature -my favorite subject) i decided to dig deep into the “why & how” of it.

I learned a boatload of stuff along the way and also found that many things i was taught (that were made out as to be extremely complex) were in fact, the complete opposite.

Anyway, in light of (lots of) new evidence i had to go back and re-asses many things and even change the way i think. (which is very hard for things that are “core” to your nature. kinda like asking a leopard to rearrange it’s spots) however, since it’s just really thoughts we’re dealing with here, it’s not impossible. (i know some might bark at that comment, but there it is)

I have been discovering there are very different and relatively simple methods for doing and understanding many things [not just medicine] out there that the “western civilizations” do not know of or completely ignore. -some of which has been overcomplicated for no good reason.

Bottom line, I have had repeated outstanding results with this technology and there is plenty of “real” science to back it up. It’s just that 99% of it is not in this country.

If you think our congress has been letting us down as of late, wait until you discover how much of our science has been bastardized.

Take the journey. Hardest part is unlearning some things you previously thought were written in stone.

Best to research with “child’s eyes”

Some fascinating things to discover, -if you take the initiative.

-s

# 36 Rick Cain said, on July 19th, 2009 at 10:27 pm

Common sense wins again. The GOP had insinuated that druggies inject for the free needles.

its like saying you are an alcoholic because the bar hands out nice pilsner glasses.

# 37 Mr. Fusion said, on July 20th, 2009 at 6:40 am

#35, soundwash,

I don’t care how much research you discovered. If none of it is verifiable, it ain’t worth squat. Remember, anecdotal evidence is seldom what it seems and does not, in itself, indicate a trend or even a fact.

If blood electrification could kill viruses then we would be using it. If it also killed bacteria, then we would never use it. Don’t forget, viruses are smaller than bacteria, if you filtered out the viruses, you would also be filtering out the blood cells and all the other good stuff in the blood.

HIV manifests itself, and does most of its damage in the intestines, not the blood stream. “Cleansing the blood” would not clear the infection anymore than changing a pus soaked bandage will heal a deep wound infection.

You post that there is a lot of evidence, but I don’t see it. It appeared that most of the sites commenting were parroting the same information. The word “conspiracy” was used quite commonly.

This appears to be either a scam or complete con job. take your pick.

# 38 soundwash said, on July 20th, 2009 at 11:35 pm

#37 Fusion [your] ignorance is bliss i guess given how cheap any therapy of this kind is (maybe $50 tops a patient) there is no way in hell it would be used. esp since no drugs are involved.

(you can run it all off 9v or 12v batteries if you cared to -it works in part, because it’s only using about 50uA (billionths of an amp)

for viral entities in places where blood does not flow, you hit it with 27kilogauss magnetic pulses.-creates back-EMF eddie currents which disable the viruses in the
same matter. (all single celled organisms, etc)

80%+ of what i researched was from research papers. -portions were from translated russian docs.

After reading a book called The Body Electric (robert o becker – nobel prize guy) -i took cues from that and found it all panned out.

I only explored research that was an extension (or lead to) Beck and Becker’s work.

what I PDF’d on my website is mostly from 2007. when i just started exploring it it was in 2008 that i started to find research data and i never bothered to update my site because like you, most people don’t even want to talk about. they just dismiss it as bullshit.

like they say, you can lead a horse to water..

as an aside..Becker observed he could cause the cells that create scar tissue to dedifferentiate into blank slates (stem cells) by applying low volt/low current silver rods
directly to wounds. he developed a silver impregnated nylon mesh coupled with the current to regenerate tissue etc.

no doubt this will be propped up soon as a “new discovery” now that dr. becker died last year..and that obama lifted the stem cell ban.

Look, I have no problem with your ignorance. believe what you want. -just trying to get you to expand your mind a bit.

i have first hand results on myself, my family and my g/f getting rid of her cervical cancer with this technology. -and eradicating prior cervical scars from tumors being froze off to boot.

I KNOW it works because i’ve tried it and seen its effects on others.

The technology is sound. i’m sure you’ll be hearing about by next year if all this pandemic crap pans out this winter. it’s one of the few things that could knock it out in short order.

maybe if you had some electrical engineering knowledge, you might understand better.

nonetheless, mark my words, of all the debates we’ve had, this is one you’ll be eating your hat over within a year, 3 years at most.

it’s leaking out all over the place.

-s

for a start, why don’t you look up Who Dr. Robert O. Becker was and what his double Nobel prize work was about.. Body electric and Cross Currents are two books that would enlighten you to the reality of electrical medicine..and why it continues to be suppressed.. after that look at ALL of Dr. Robert C. Beck’s work. -esp his brain research

stop wasting your time arguing with the lemmings here and learn something for a change.

It will be well worth your time. -trust me. i may suck at politics, but science i know, learn (and relearn) very well.

i have left a plethora of clues and keywords in this entire thread to enable anyone with curiosity and an open mind to find a valid, completely different way of doing medicine that has been in practice in other countries for a long time.

you only need to take your blinders off.

-s

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