On September 18, Dr. David Beilenson, Health Commissioner for the city of Baltimore, testified in front of the congressional subcommittee on National Security, Internal Affairs and Criminal Justice. The testimony outlined the progress of Baltimore's 3 year-old needle exchange program.
Beilenson prefaced his remarks by voicing opposition to the "martial terms used to define our national approach to drugs today. This is not a War of Battle -- it should be about people, and caring for people who are suffering. AIDS is the number one killer of young adults, male and female, black and white, in Baltimore and many other cities in the U.S."
Dr. Beilenson then went on to document the continued success and effectiveness of needle exchange in Baltimore. Drawing liberally from the most comprehensive studies to date, he vehemently defended the programs as fitting squarely within the mandate of the oath he took to "do no harm" when he became an M.D. Dr. Beilenson went on to cite a 39.7% decrease in seroconversion rates among participants and the exchange's important role as a link to a difficult to reach community and as a springboard into drug treatment programs.
On September 18, Dr. David Beilenson, Health Commissioner for the city of Baltimore, testified in front of the congressional subcommittee on National Security, Internal Affairs and Criminal Justice. The testimony outlined the progress of Baltimore's 3 year-old needle exchange program.
Beilenson prefaced his remarks by voicing opposition to the "martial terms used to define our national approach to drugs today. This is not a War of Battle -- it should be about people, and caring for people who are suffering. AIDS is the number one killer of young adults, male and female, black and white, in Baltimore and many other cities in the U.S."
Dr. Beilenson then went on to document the continued success and effectiveness of needle exchange in Baltimore. Drawing liberally from the most comprehensive studies to date, he vehemently defended the programs as fitting squarely within the mandate of the oath he took to "do no harm" when he became an M.D. Dr. Beilenson went on to cite a 39.7% decrease in seroconversion rates among participants and the exchange's important role as a link to a difficult to reach community and as a springboard into drug treatment programs.
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| Issue #13, 9/28/97 Campaign '97 Update | 9 Year-Old Busted on Candy Rap | Another French Official Speaks Out for Legalization of Cannabis | Mexican Priest Praises Drug Traffickers' Benevolence... Journalists Attacked by Archbishop's Aides for Asking Questions about the Incident | Baltimore Health Commissioner Testifies on Needle Exchange | Spy vs. Spy | Cia Turns 50 | Freudian Slip | Mexican Journalists Terrorized | Former Pakistani Prime Minister's Accounts Alleged to Contain "Drug Money" | Swiss Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Heroin Maintenance and Other Liberal Drug Policies | Dutch Heroin Maintenance to go Ahead as "Pilot Project" | Canada's Medical Marijuana Prohibition Challenged by Multiple Sclerosis Patient | Reformers Charge Washington State Government with Using Federal Funds to Politic Against Drug Reform Initiative | Black Market Meth Labs Kill One Child, Force Evacuation of 30 Families | Shalala Continues to be Dogged by Needle Exchange Questions | Editorial: World Gone Mad |
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StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network (DRCNet)
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