Federal research reports led then-Secretary of Health and Human Services
Donna Shalala to state in 1998: “A meticulous scientific review has now proven
that needle exchange programs can reduce the transmission of HIV and save lives
without losing ground in the battle against illegal drugs.”
This conclusion was reiterated in 2000 by then-Surgeon General David
Satcher, "After reviewing all of
the research to date, the senior scientists of the Department and I have
unanimously agreed that there is conclusive scientific evidence that syringe
exchange programs, as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy, are an
effective public health intervention that reduces the transmission of HIV and does
not encourage the use of illegal drugs."
National Commission on AIDS (1991): The Twin Epidemics of
Substance Use and HIV. Washington DC.
General Accounting Office (1993): Needle Exchange Programs:
Research Suggests Promise as an AIDS Prevention Strategy. US Government
Printing Office: Washington DC.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1993): The
Public Health Impact of Needle Exchange Programs in the United States and
Abroad: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations. CDC: Atlanta.
Office of Technology Policy Assessment of the US Congress (1995):
The
Effectiveness of AIDS Prevention Efforts. US Government Printing Office:
Washington DC.
Institute of Medicine, National Research Council (1995):
Preventing HIV Transmission: The Role of Sterile Syringes and Bleach. National
Academy Press: Washington DC.
National Institutes of Health Consensus Panel (1997):
Interventions to Prevent HIV Risk Behaviors. NIH: Bethesda MD.
Office of the Surgeon General (2000): Evidence-based
Findings on the Efficacy of Syringe Exchange Programs: An Analysis of the
Scientific Research Completed Since April 1998. US Department of Health and
Human Services: Washington DC.
Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Science (2002):
No Time to Lose: Getting More from HIV Prevention. National Academy Press:
Washington DC.
******************************** Conclusions and Recommendations of U.S.
Government-funded Reports on the Efficacy of Needle Exchange Programs (NEPs)
1991-95
(HRC thanks CommonSense for Drug
Policy for this table)
|
Report, year
|
NEPs Reduce HIV transmission
|
NEPs do not increase drug use
|
Revoke Federal funding ban
|
Revoke state prescription and
paraphernalia laws
|
|
NCOA, 1991
|
Yes (1)
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
GAO, 1993
|
Yes (2)
|
Yes
|
N/A (3)
|
N/A (3)
|
|
UC, 1993
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
CDC, 1993
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
IOM, 1995
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
OTA, 1995
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
N/A (3)
|
N/A (3)
|
1. Legal barriers precluding needle exchange lead to increased HIV
transmission
2. "Research suggests promise as an AIDS prevention strategy"
3. The OTA and GAO reviewed the data without making policy
recommendations
NCOA=National Commission on AIDS
GAO=General Accounting Office
UC=University of California
CDC=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
NAS=National Academy of Sciences
OTA=Office of Technology Assessment
February 2007
| 
