Do syringe and needle exchange schemes increase drug use?
There is clear evidence that syringe and needle exchange schemes neither increase drug use as a result of providing access to sterile equipment, nor increase the frequency of injection among those using such schemes, or the number of new initiates to injecting drug use. At least six government-funded studies of HIV infection among drug users in the USA concluded that needle exchange programs significantly reduce new HIV infections without encouraging drug use. Despite these results, however, federal funding of needle exchange- programs is still prohibited in the USA because of political opposition. In one study it was estimated that failure to implement widespread needle- exchange programs in the USA between 1987 and 1995 will cost the country at least US$244 million in medical care for HIV cases that could have been prevented. In the US, there is evidence to suggest that syringe and needle exchange schemes report increased referrals to drug treatment services, including those services
