Do syringe exchange programs increase drug use?
No. An independent panel convened by the National Institute of Health in 1997 concluded that syringe exchange does not increase syringe injecting behavior among current drug users and does not encourage people to begin using drugs. More recent studies confirm these findings and further suggest that syringe exchange programs are successful in attracting injectors who are at highest risk. Every syringe exchange in the United States recruits drug users into treatment.
