AIDS panel breaks ranks, the Front Page § backs free Sv uovce Price "HE WASHINGTON TIMES The government’s AIDS commuis- s10n yesterday recommended needle exchange programs for intravenous drug users and urged repeai of laws that restrict access to clean needles and syringes, putting it at odds with the Bush administration. ‘Such legal barners do not reduce cit drug injection.” the National Commission on AIDS said 1n its re- port on the “twin epidermcs” of sub- stance abuse and the human ummu- nodeficiency virus, the agent that causes AIDS “They do, however, limit the avaul- abilitv of new/clean injection eauip- ment and therefore encourage the sharing of injection equipment and the increase in HIV transmission,” the panel said. Such statutes are “obsolete and dangerous to the public heaith.” said commission member Don C. Des Jariais, director of research for the Chemical Dependency Insttute at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. The commussion pointed out that nearly a third of ail U.S. AIDS cases have been linked to intravenous drug use, and it vigorousiv attacked the federal government for fatling to ad- dress that “insidious and indisputa- ble link.” . Health and Human Services Sec- retary Louis W. Sullivan is one of the commission's three non-voring members. Dr. Sullivan had no com- ment yesterday on the cail for a re- laxation of restrictions on the sale and possession of injection equip- ment. Twelve states currently re- quire prescriptions to obtain nee- needles dles “The department is opposed to needle excnange programs because such programs can be viewed as sanctioning drug abuse,” a Sullivan spokesman said. “The admrmistre- tion consistently has conveyed the message illegai drug use 18 uMmac- ceptable and will not be tolerated.” Early in his tenure. Dr. Sullivan supported needle exchange pro- grams. cut he later reversed him- self. Gary Bauer, president of the con- servanve Familiy Research Counetl, said he believes the commission's recommendation to make needles more available to addicts would “un- dermine the drug war" He added: Over the long term, 1t would result in more AIDS cases. not less.” see AIDS. page AY mee cepa ee ee ee mene ~ —. = Fe a ee ee ee ok in CASE-BY-CASE The total number of aduit AIDS cases by year compared with the 40,000 yearty number of IV drug use-associated AIDS cases." 8 iz te? Soures: The fede: 4883 1984 1985 “Wiavenous use-assomated AIDS cases inciuce beaeauunin who used IV drugs. 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 heterosexual IV drug-users homosexuais or and who ed ang people fad sexual contact with an IV drug-user Map ty Paul Woodward / The Washington Times ‘ a eee AIDS From page Al The 15-member National Com- mission on AIDS 1s an independent body created by Congress to advise Congress and the White House on the development of a “consistent na- uionai policy” for dealmg with the HIV epidemic. Its members include 10 appointed by the House and Sen- ate, two appointed by President Bush and three non-votng Cabinet members. “No decision 1s built in concrete,” Dr James O. Mason, assistant secre- tarv for health, said un an interview yesterday. But before there would ever be any change in policy on nee- dle exchange programs, he said, “there would have to be clear evi- dence that such programs in no way encouraged or leginmized drug abuse" Dr. Des Jariais said in a telephone interview that “there ts no evidence to support the claim that syringe ex- change programs lead to increased drug imectinns” Che AIDS commussion's endorse- ment uf Neeate excnange progran.s came less than a week after Yale Uni- versity researchers reported that a New Haven. Conn., program had re- duced new HIV infecnons by more a than 30 percent in that area “The New Haven study was one of 20 or so studies that have consistently found those results,” Dr. Des Jarlais said But Bob Martinez, director of the Office of National Drug Control Pol- icy, said in a statement yesterday, “The most recent studies on needle exchange and today’s report by the National Commission on AIDS all fail to provide clear sciennfic evi- dence that such programs reduce risk-taking behavior.” Federal legisiation, passed in 1988, banned the use of federal fund- ing to “carry out any program of dis- tributing sterile needles for the hy- podermic injection of any illegal drug.” But Dr. Mason noted that states and local communities are free to offer such programs under their own authorines. Needle exchange programs are in operation in several areas, including Tacoma, Wash.. Portland, Ore.; Boulder, Colo.; and Hawa. Dr. June Osborn, chairwoman of the AIDS commission. vesterdav de- scribed the proposal to give addicts treer access to needies ana symnges “a stopgap measure” necessitated by the government's “failure to deal with people who want and need [drug] trearment.” The No. 1 recommendation, she said in an interview, 1s for “expanded drug abuse treatment so that all who apply for treatment can be accepted into treatment programs” Dr. Osborn noted that an AIDS task force appointed by President Reagan had called for more drug treatment opportuniues. “But the recommendation was not attended to,” she said. The National Commission on AIDS said m its report that the gov- ermment's primary response to the drug problem “has been imprison- ment and increased jail sentences, often ignomng drug/HIV relation- ships” and “negtecting the real pub- lic health and treatment measures that could and must be taken to halt the spread.” But Mr. Martinez charged that the AIDS commission's report “distorts the administrations position on ex- panding and improving drug treat- ment.” The “flash fire potential of HIV transmission through injection drug use has been demonstrated repeat- edly in this eqzeee, and arnund the worla, and it 1s an issue or the great- est urgency,’ Ur. Usborn said. HIV and intravenous drug abuse are “twin epidemics,” she said, and at their worst could be “Siamese twin epidemics.”