AIDS and Legal Access to Sterile Drug Injection Equipment

Legal access to sterile injection equipment has been a primary strategy for preventing the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) among persons who inject illicit drugs in almost all developed countries. This strategy has remained highly controversial in the United States, with only a small numb...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 1992-05, Vol.521 (1), p.42-65
Main Authors: Don C. Des Jarlais, Friedman, Samuel R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
AIDS
Drug abuse
Drug policy
Drugs
Epidemics
HEALTH (ALSO SICKNESS AND DISEASE)
HIV
HIV infections
Illicit drugs
Injections
Law
Medical equipment
Medical syringes
Needle exchange programs
Proven Interventions: Clean Needles and Coerced Treatment
Public Policy
SOCIAL POLICY
Social research
UNITED STATES, 1945 TO PRESENT
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Summary:Legal access to sterile injection equipment has been a primary strategy for preventing the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) among persons who inject illicit drugs in almost all developed countries. This strategy has remained highly controversial in the United States, with only a small number of localities adopting it. This article reviews different techniques of providing legal access-over-the-counter sales and syringe exchanges-research design issues relevant to evaluating legal-access programs, and the findings from the large number of studies conducted to date. The findings are consistent in showing no increase in illicit drug use related to legal access and decreases in AIDS risk behavior related to legal-access programs. The design of legal-access programs for maximal impact and the ultimate effect of the decreases in AIDS risk behavior on transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remain to be determined.
ISSN:0002-7162
1552-3349
DOI:10.1177/0002716292521001004