Crazy Lawsuit Game

It's official. President Bush has done something that might actually help people. Not you or I, hopefully, but people nonetheless. For nearly a decade, Washington DC has had a ban on needle exchange programs. Our nation's capital has the highest AIDS rate of any major city in the US. The first leading cause of HIV transmission is unprotected sex. The second? Intravenous drug users sharing needles. They're all smacked out and don't want to spend any "heroin money" on something as stupid as a clean needle, so they borrow HIV Larry's needle and shoot up. Most larger cities have realized this is horrible and have started a needle exchange program. The junkies bring in their used needles (instead of throwing them in the trash or on the road or on your kid's playground equipment) and the Health Department furnishes them with clean needles and hopefully encourages them to get clean and into a rehab program. Some people say that this encourages drug use. Does it? Do you want to move to DC and start a serious junk habit knowing now that you can get free clean needles? It doesn't for me either. Crystal meth users, fear not. I assume this program is for any intravenous drug users not just smackheads. So whether you like to inject cocaine, ice or Frosted Flakes, you don't have to use a HIV infected needle! Hooray!

Does that mean that anyone using needles can exchange theirs? Even diabetics? I'm sure a few savvy diabetics would venture down there to save a bit of money on buying new needles. I think that would be okay.

So congratulations to all DC IV drug users! Go get some clean needles and good luck not killing yourselves with your habit.

Labels: disease, politics