HOW DO WE KNOW NEEDLE EXCHANGE REDUCES THE NUMBER OF HIV INFECTIONS?
Because needle exchange has been politically contentious, it is the most thoroughly studied public health intervention of the past thirty years. These studies have repeatedly and consistently shown that needle exchange reduces new HIV infections7, increases successful uptake of drug treatment among their clients8, and does not result in increased crime or violence in communities in which they are started9. Federally funded reports conducted by the National Commission on AIDS10, the General Accounting Office11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)12, the National Institute of Medicine’s National Research Council13, and the Office of Technology Assessment14 have all concluded that needle exchanges reduce the transmission of HIV while not increasing drug use.
