"The ABA has joined public health experts in recognizing the scientific evidence that needle exchange and drug treatment efforts complement each other and save lives," according to Seth Kilbourn, senior health policy advocate for the Human Rights Campaign. "Needle exchange programs help meet an urgent public health need in communities combating the dual epidemics of AIDS and illegal drug use."

Needle exchange programs provide intravenous drug users with sterile syringes in exchange for used ones. Such programs have been implemented in more than 100 communities around the country, and have been shown to stem the spread of HIV and other blood-borne diseases transmitted through the sharing of injection equipment.

In February, the Department of Health and Human Services released a report concluding that needle exchange programs are effective in slowing the spread of HIV and AIDS.

The Human Rights Campaign continues to call on the secretary of Health and Human Services to act on the scientific evidence demonstrating the necessity and effectiveness of needle exchange programs. HRC is encouraging her to remove current restrictions preventing local communities from using federal funds for these life-saving programs.

The ABA's resolution states that "in order to further scientifically based public health objectives to reduce HIV infection and other blood-borne diseases, and in support of our long-standing opposition to substance abuse, the American Bar Association supports the removal of legal barriers to the establishment and operation of approved needle exchange programs that include a component of drug counseling and drug treatment referrals."

Approximately one-third of reported AIDS cases are related to injection drug use. Sixty-six percent of all AIDS cases among women -- and more than half of such cases among children -- are related to injection drug use.

With the adoption of its resolution today, the ABA has joined a growing consensus in favor of needle exchange programs. Groups supporting such HIV prevention efforts include the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and the United States Conference of Mayors.

The ABA cited evidence that needle exchange programs reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis among injection drug users and their families; reduce the number of contaminated needles on the street that pose a risk to public safety; do not increase -- and may actually reduce -- illegal drug use; and are vastly more cost-effective than treating the additional people who would otherwise become HIV-positive.

"It's all too rare that saving lives and saving money end up on the same side of the public health equation," noted HRC's Kilbourn. "So ignoring the mountain of scientific evidence in favor of needle exchange efforts would be both morally and fiscally irresponsible."

Beyond the support from public health, scientific and legal experts, needle exchange programs are earning favor with the majority of Americans. Fifty-five percent of voters support such programs, according to a bipartisan poll commissioned by HRC and conducted April 8-10 by the Tarrance Group, a Republican firm, and Lake Sosin Snell and Associates, a Democratic polling company. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent.

In addition, a March 1996 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 66 percent of Americans favor "having clinics make clean needles available to IV drug users to help stop the spread of AIDS."