| e m@ | i he Evening Sus —* WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1991 | Page Dl Officials shun AIDS report m Needle program would require change of law. By John Fairhall Evening Sun Staff State and city public health offi- cials have brushed aside a contro- versial recommendation by the Na- tional Commussion on AIDS that drug addicts be given legal access to needles. The officials say such a drastic step might be worth studying, but should not be taken until there's greater evidence of its effectiveness in reducing AIDS virus infections. The commussion said yesterday there's already evidence of the ef- fectiveness of needle-exchange pro- grams operating in Tacoma, Wash., and a few other cities. Addicts turn in useg neeaies tor new ones to us- -vurage uecuic slidl lug, a luayui transmission route for the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. A Maryland law prohibiting pos- session of drug paraphernalia would have to be changed to permut addicts 0 CaiTy iNjecuon equipment or par- ticipate in a needle-exchange pro- gram. “Maybe sometime in the tuture we'll take a look at needle ex- change,” said Elias A. Dorsey, acting city health commissioner. “But that’s not going to happen now. I think there’s still a legal question to be answered about it. I don’t think anyone in law enforcement or the business of making jaws is espousing changing the laws so we can do that.” Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke previously indicated an in- terest in studying the effectiveness of needle exchange but did not pur- sue the necessary change of law. “What he’s prepared to do” now. mayoral press secretary Clint Cole- man said, “is participate with state officials in a discussion about effec- tive strategies for reducing the inci- dence of AIDS without deciding be- forehand what those strategies ought to be.” Schmoke indicated support for other commussion findings. In its re- port, the commission recommended expanded drug treatment programs and strongly criticized the Bush ad- ministration for failing to coordinate the campaigns against drugs and AIDS. The commussion said the govern- ment is failing to address the rising incidence of AIDS cases caused by drug use. A third of recent AIDS cases are attributable to drug use, the advisory group said. The director of the federal Office of Drug Control Policy, Bob Marti- nez, challenged the “most recent Studies on needle exchange” and the commission's report, saying they “fail to provide clear scientific evi- dence that such programs reduce risk-taking behavior.” He also said the report “distorts the administration's position on ex- panding and improving drug treat- ment.” He said the major obstacle to expanding programs has been cuts by Congress in the Bush administra- tion’s funding proposals for treat- ment. State and '»cai officials cited wagstandiig concerns that access to See AIDS, D4, Col. 1 AIDS, From D1 needles encourages, or at least ap- pears to encourage, drug use. “It’s a real dilemma because we don t want to do anything to promote drug use in any way,” said Dr Eric Fine, assistant director of the state AIDS administration. On the other hand. officials recognize the increas- ing rate of HIV infection related to drug use, he said. “This might be a good topic for the governor’s advisory council to look at.” Fine said. But the new chairman of the gov- ernor’s advisory panel on HIV pre- vention and treatment, Dr. Richard T. Johnson, isn’t enthusiastic about giving addicts needles. “It’s very offensive to the gener- al population, I think, to hand out needles,” he said. “It looks like you're supporting people's habits. And I think we have to be very sensi- tive to that.” “It’s kind of a last option in my view,” said Johnson, director of neu- rology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. “But I don’t eliminate any possibili- ties, in my mind.”