Needle Exchange Programs On The Increase

The number of needle exchange programs in the United States climbed to at least 87 in 1995-96, with almost a quarter of them in states where they are outlawed, the government said Thursday.

The number represents a 45 percent increase from 1994-95, according to a survey published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The surveys were carried out by researchers at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.

Under the programs, drug addicts are given clean needles in exchange for their used ones in an effort to combat diseases such as AIDS.

Such programs were operating in 71 cities in 28 states in 1995-96, the CDC said. In 1994-95, there were 60 programs in 46 cities in 21 states.

More than half of needle exchanges in 1995-96 were in California, Connecticut, New York and Washington state. A program in San Francisco exchanged the most needles in 1996: more than 1.4 million.

But the survey also shows that exchanges are catching on in the Middle West and the South. Last month, for example, lawmakers in Minnesota and Maine legalized needle exchanges.

“There is rapid expansion from the heavily concentrated cities, and programs are being seen in places they weren’t before,” said Denise Paone, assistant research director at Beth Israel.

In 1995-96, 53 percent of the needle exchanges were legal. Of the rest, 24 percent were illegal and 23 percent were against state law but had been approved by the city council or mayor’s office.

More than one-third of adult AIDS cases develop from drug injections.