Thursday, May 7, 2009
Drugs Dead Stupid
Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, May 7, 2009 at 6:05 PM
After looking at the science and concluding that abstinence-only sex education doesn't work, Obama defunded it. But on another issue—a life-and-death issue—Obama is ignoring the evidence and denying funding to a social program that works, one he promised to support:
Obama, during the primary campaign, pledged his support of needle exchange programs to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS. When he took over the White House, the administration website affirmed: "The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users."Yet Obama's budget includes language that bans spending federal money on needle-exchange programs. White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said the administration isn't yet ready to lift the ban—but Obama still supports needle exchange.
The president supports needle exchange but he isn't ready to lift the federal ban on funding needle exchange programs? Excuse me, Mr. President, but WTF? Needle-exchange programs work, they save lives, they prevent new HIV infections—often among the hardest-hit communities, i.e. poor communities, urban communities, communities of color. People will die as a result of your cowardice on this issue—and there's nothing at work here but political cowardice. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey conducted in 1996 found that 66% of Americans support needle exchange programs. That was thirteen years ago. How much time is it going to take?
Obama approaches sensible drug policies—like decriminalizing marijuana possession—with the same cowardice that he approaches gay issues. Very disappointing on both scores. We'll have to wait longer for the repeals of DADT and DOMA than Barack Obama lead us to believe we would during the campaign, sure, and lives will be disrupted and injustice will have to be endured... but at least no one will die. Denying federal funds to needle exchange programs literally kills people: drug users and their sex partners. If there was ever an issue that the "fierce urgency of now" should apply to, Mr. President, it's needle exchange.
WTF, Obama?
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5
yay.
"man? nut? whassa difference?"
a questionland/mudede post crossover.
you, drunken troll @ 1-4 rock!!
"man? nut? whassa difference?"
a questionland/mudede post crossover.
you, drunken troll @ 1-4 rock!!
6
Ever consider that maybe he had to trade sex ed for needle exchange? Which is a smart trade the sex ed will slow the spread of STD's plus have other side benefits. (aside: what's with STI's, when did this change and was there any good reason. Diseases are bad but infections are disney land rides?)
7
@6 Just a theory;
meh, you make too much sense, i give two popcorntubs or one syringe-ey award.
the douche in the balcony aka...
meh, you make too much sense, i give two popcorntubs or one syringe-ey award.
the douche in the balcony aka...
8
Needle exchange is too little too late. KC IV drug users have only a 2% HIV rate but an 86% Hep-C rate. Needle exchange doesn't seem to be affecting the Hep-C instances. Hep-C is the bigger health threat at this time and the more serious infection to get. HIV is controllable enough that places like Bailey-Boushay are running out of business.
Let's spend money working on Hep-C prevention. What sense does it make to rebuild the tranny when the engine is shot?
Let's spend money working on Hep-C prevention. What sense does it make to rebuild the tranny when the engine is shot?
9
Honestly, I think the needle exchange program needs to a state funded program rather than a nationally funded program. If people want Obama to make it a federally funded program, provide some valid statistics to make your case heard. For example, is it feasible having a needle exchange program in Omaha, Nebraska if it's usage would be 1%, if even that, of it's usage of SF?
10
Ok, here's the deal: The BLACK president comes in, gets rid of the gay military ban, supports gay marriage, gives IV drug users clean needles, moves to prosecute Bush administration war crimes.......
and lasts one term, The corporate media mantra becomes "TOO MUCH CHANGE!" Scatterbrained Americans, frightened by the idea of mandatory abortions on the altar of their local church while a drag queen marries a leather man and his Pomerainian, head back to the safety and simple-mindedness of the GOP. Make way for President Palin.
Call me cautious and cynical (I am) but I'm usually right about these things. They have to make middle America comfortable about homes and jobs before tackling social issues.
and lasts one term, The corporate media mantra becomes "TOO MUCH CHANGE!" Scatterbrained Americans, frightened by the idea of mandatory abortions on the altar of their local church while a drag queen marries a leather man and his Pomerainian, head back to the safety and simple-mindedness of the GOP. Make way for President Palin.
Call me cautious and cynical (I am) but I'm usually right about these things. They have to make middle America comfortable about homes and jobs before tackling social issues.
11
I'm for needle-exchange programs because they do prevent HIV. But there's a good argument made by members of the opposition that they deemphasize drug treatment and further drug addictions. Drugs kill people and destroy families, even without passing on HIV.
12
Unlike Savage, Obama realizes that in the "fierce urgency of now", drug abusers and those that sleep with them rank somewhere below hedge fund managers in the list of people voters want to spend money on.
13
@ 10:
OMG, THERE'S GONNA BE MANDATORY ABORTIONS ON MY BIG GAY CHURCH ALTER BY LEATHERMEN and THEIR POMERANIAN DOG HENCHMEN.
o.k. cool, sounds good by me, I'll bring the Jello-with grapes and marshmallow Salad.
OMG, THERE'S GONNA BE MANDATORY ABORTIONS ON MY BIG GAY CHURCH ALTER BY LEATHERMEN and THEIR POMERANIAN DOG HENCHMEN.
o.k. cool, sounds good by me, I'll bring the Jello-with grapes and marshmallow Salad.
14
If you bring the salad, dear, I'll bring some deviled eggs. But better make a pot of Sanka for me. I can't drink coffee in the evening. It keeps me up all night.
16
I want to hazard a guess...
a needle exchange is a drug policy issue and a health policy issue. Those are issues for two seperate federal departments (least of all, who will have budgetary oversight). Such budget oversight will require coordination. Gil, The Drug Czar, just signed on this afternoon.
Smack users sharing needles with HIV+ folks will be addressed, but well, soon. Perhaps tomorrow.
a needle exchange is a drug policy issue and a health policy issue. Those are issues for two seperate federal departments (least of all, who will have budgetary oversight). Such budget oversight will require coordination. Gil, The Drug Czar, just signed on this afternoon.
Smack users sharing needles with HIV+ folks will be addressed, but well, soon. Perhaps tomorrow.
17
I've gotta agree with #9 on this.
Needle exchange programs are great for a state platform instead of a national one. This isn't an issue everywhere. I don't think it should be ignored - especially where it can really make a difference - but it also doesn't need to be national.
Needle exchange programs are great for a state platform instead of a national one. This isn't an issue everywhere. I don't think it should be ignored - especially where it can really make a difference - but it also doesn't need to be national.
18
WHO WILL THINK OF THE JUNKIES AND TWEAKERS?!?!?!?!?!?! ZOMGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!
Savage, you may not realize, but the President has a country to run. A country in A BIG FUCKING ECONOMIC CRISIS. Your issues don't always come first. Sorry to break the news to you.
Savage, you may not realize, but the President has a country to run. A country in A BIG FUCKING ECONOMIC CRISIS. Your issues don't always come first. Sorry to break the news to you.
19
Hm. Well, Obama is doing a lot of things, and has covered a lot of ground. Chances are he's encountering various levels of resistance to his initiatives, and chances are he has to play ball a little bit to smooth feathers and whatnot.
It's still only early May ... not even four months after his inauguration. Perhaps he's picking his battles so he can wage the wars in an effective manner. I have no idea how Capitol Hill bullshit plays out. I'm not apologizing for him either, he's gotta step up to the plate of his promises and make that shit happen to.
So let's keep the pressure on, but also understand he does have a full plate in front of him. Twenty-five things at a time, ok?
It's still only early May ... not even four months after his inauguration. Perhaps he's picking his battles so he can wage the wars in an effective manner. I have no idea how Capitol Hill bullshit plays out. I'm not apologizing for him either, he's gotta step up to the plate of his promises and make that shit happen to.
So let's keep the pressure on, but also understand he does have a full plate in front of him. Twenty-five things at a time, ok?
21
I'm pretty much convinced that the only issues that matter to 80 percent of people are economic. Whether he does this or that other thing is just entertainment in between the real decision making, like whether to give another 100 billion to the banks.
But, chat if you must.
But, chat if you must.
22
more, more more, moooorrree and more
the list of 100 progressive demands
now, now and now, and nnnnoooowwww
and no ...
some patience is needed, really, he will be president for 8 years not 8 months
Dan Dear, has the state of Washington, THAT is where you live, has it fully funded needle exchanges? Cause. you just might look to see the status of some shit in your yard a bit as well ...
by: Still in love with O
the list of 100 progressive demands
now, now and now, and nnnnoooowwww
and no ...
some patience is needed, really, he will be president for 8 years not 8 months
Dan Dear, has the state of Washington, THAT is where you live, has it fully funded needle exchanges? Cause. you just might look to see the status of some shit in your yard a bit as well ...
by: Still in love with O
23
Dan, sweetie, I hate to break it to you but abstinence based sex education is not as dead as you think. Obama's language had lots of wiggle room left in it- it was a statement to cheer girls like yourself but when the nitty gritty gets said and done there won't be much changed as you think.
24
I love it when junkies die of AIDS and Hep. The only good junkie is a dead junkie. How's that needle exchange program near Pike Place Market working out for all you liberal wimps? It sure is awesome to have a bunch of shitty-pants dirty junkies hanging around aggressively bumming off of tourists, scaring them away from Seattle. Many tourists I have talked to around downtown said they would NEVER come back to Seattle and could not believe what a permissive shithole it has become. F
UCK YOU AND YOUR NEEDLE EXCHANGE - KILL ALL JUNKIES!
UCK YOU AND YOUR NEEDLE EXCHANGE - KILL ALL JUNKIES!
25
He's trying to be deliberate about the order in which he picks his battles. It's good to keep the opposition off balance while he concentrates on big issues like health care, which is a must pass for him and his administration. I have absolutely no doubt about his commitment on these issues.
27
Ok as I type this I am at my desk at a Needle Exchange and there are several comments here that miss the mark MASSIVELY.
@8 This is a chicken V egg issue. The reason that the HIV rate in KC is so low among IDUs (as it is in Boston) is because of Needle Exchanges. Europe has fewer needle exchanges than we do in America and as a result their HIV rates among IDUs is much higher. If there were no needle exchange programs (NEPs) in the states, the rates of HIV infection among IDUs would be MUCH HIGHER. Also comparing Hep C to HIV is like comparing apples to oranges, Hep C is a MUCH more robust virus and way easier to transmit. I agree the Hep C rate needs to be much lower, but the nature of the disease makes it much harder to fight. You know what would help in that fight? INCREASED FUNDING for better training and education of IDUs.
@9 Obama never proposed funding Needle Exchanges in every rural community in America, what he promised to do was LIFT THE BAN ON FEDERAL FUNDS for needle exchanges which means existing needle exchanges could increase their capacity (remember state budgets are shrinking across the nation). NO WHERE DID HE SAY he was planning on spending more federal money on NEP, only that he wanted congress to have the option to do so.
@11 You make a false correlation when you talk about programs that "deemphasize drug treatment and further drug addictions." You know what can really further drug addiction? Drug treatment when its forced on an addict. Opiate addictions are the most difficult to overcome, and forcing addicts to get clean when they're not ready just results in a) more relapses b) beds taken from addicts who are ready to commit to sobriety and c) more fatal overdoses because the addict's opiate tolerance has been lowered significantly while they were in treatment. Some addicts also use drug treatment to get high cheaper, it's called "spin drying," they spend a couple weeks in treatment, lower their tolerance to heroin, and thus can spend less money to get high when they get out.
Needle Exchange programs by contrast build up trust between addicts and health professionals by excluding a rush to treatment and judgment so that when an addict is ready, he or she can come to a exchange worker and get an appropriate and timely referral.
@24 Someday soon someone you know will have an addiction and you'll understand. Hell you might yourself. I can't tell you the epidemic of new users we're seeing, young professionals who injure themselves, get hooked on pain killers and a couple years later are "shitty-pants dirty junkies hanging around aggressively bumming off of tourists."
ALSO
Anyone who agrees that the federal government should have the ability to fund needle exchanges needs to contact their congressperson and tell them to vote and/or co-sponsor HR 179 the Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act which would, "permit the use of Federal funds for syringe exchange programs for purposes of reducing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens, including HIV and viral hepatitis."
The bill is currently languishing in committee.
More...
@8 This is a chicken V egg issue. The reason that the HIV rate in KC is so low among IDUs (as it is in Boston) is because of Needle Exchanges. Europe has fewer needle exchanges than we do in America and as a result their HIV rates among IDUs is much higher. If there were no needle exchange programs (NEPs) in the states, the rates of HIV infection among IDUs would be MUCH HIGHER. Also comparing Hep C to HIV is like comparing apples to oranges, Hep C is a MUCH more robust virus and way easier to transmit. I agree the Hep C rate needs to be much lower, but the nature of the disease makes it much harder to fight. You know what would help in that fight? INCREASED FUNDING for better training and education of IDUs.
@9 Obama never proposed funding Needle Exchanges in every rural community in America, what he promised to do was LIFT THE BAN ON FEDERAL FUNDS for needle exchanges which means existing needle exchanges could increase their capacity (remember state budgets are shrinking across the nation). NO WHERE DID HE SAY he was planning on spending more federal money on NEP, only that he wanted congress to have the option to do so.
@11 You make a false correlation when you talk about programs that "deemphasize drug treatment and further drug addictions." You know what can really further drug addiction? Drug treatment when its forced on an addict. Opiate addictions are the most difficult to overcome, and forcing addicts to get clean when they're not ready just results in a) more relapses b) beds taken from addicts who are ready to commit to sobriety and c) more fatal overdoses because the addict's opiate tolerance has been lowered significantly while they were in treatment. Some addicts also use drug treatment to get high cheaper, it's called "spin drying," they spend a couple weeks in treatment, lower their tolerance to heroin, and thus can spend less money to get high when they get out.
Needle Exchange programs by contrast build up trust between addicts and health professionals by excluding a rush to treatment and judgment so that when an addict is ready, he or she can come to a exchange worker and get an appropriate and timely referral.
@24 Someday soon someone you know will have an addiction and you'll understand. Hell you might yourself. I can't tell you the epidemic of new users we're seeing, young professionals who injure themselves, get hooked on pain killers and a couple years later are "shitty-pants dirty junkies hanging around aggressively bumming off of tourists."
ALSO
Anyone who agrees that the federal government should have the ability to fund needle exchanges needs to contact their congressperson and tell them to vote and/or co-sponsor HR 179 the Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act which would, "permit the use of Federal funds for syringe exchange programs for purposes of reducing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens, including HIV and viral hepatitis."
The bill is currently languishing in committee.
28
"Many tourists I have talked to around downtown said they would NEVER come back to Seattle and could not believe what a permissive shithole it has become."
Less tourists sounds great to me! Where can we get more of these "junkies" you talk about?
Less tourists sounds great to me! Where can we get more of these "junkies" you talk about?
29
Thanks for all the info Stuck in Boston.
And I agree we need to tackle this issue, but we need to tackle the issue of general healthcare first.
And yeah, sure, he could just lift the ban. But what Catalina Vel-DuRay says is true. The minute he lifts that ban it's going to be like "Obama cares about junkies and not about fetus'. He wants us all to have abortions and shoot up meth".
So yeah, sure it sucks. But one thing at a time.
And I agree we need to tackle this issue, but we need to tackle the issue of general healthcare first.
And yeah, sure, he could just lift the ban. But what Catalina Vel-DuRay says is true. The minute he lifts that ban it's going to be like "Obama cares about junkies and not about fetus'. He wants us all to have abortions and shoot up meth".
So yeah, sure it sucks. But one thing at a time.
30
@29 I repsectfully disagree.
To fix healthcare Obama needs to emphasize prevention over medical interventions which are incredibly expensive. Needle exchanges are the most effective form of prevention for injection drug users out there. It could be argued that IDUs are only a small handful of the population so they shouldn't be as high a priority as the general uninsured population, but the fact is that addicts run up disproportianate amount of medical costs to the general population, bills that they will never be able to pay off. This leaves hospitals to foot these huge bills which raises healthcare costs. Do you have any idea how much it costs to treat someone with a HIV/HEP C co-infection? A LOT!
To fix healthcare Obama needs to emphasize prevention over medical interventions which are incredibly expensive. Needle exchanges are the most effective form of prevention for injection drug users out there. It could be argued that IDUs are only a small handful of the population so they shouldn't be as high a priority as the general uninsured population, but the fact is that addicts run up disproportianate amount of medical costs to the general population, bills that they will never be able to pay off. This leaves hospitals to foot these huge bills which raises healthcare costs. Do you have any idea how much it costs to treat someone with a HIV/HEP C co-infection? A LOT!
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