We Can't End AIDS Until We End the Drug War

We can't end AIDS until we end the drug war. The criminalization of people who use drugs is driving the HIV/AIDS pandemic. 1in 3 new HIV infections outside sub-Saharan Africa is caused by syringe sharing. One-third of all AIDS cases in the U.S. have also been caused by syringe sharing: 354,000 people. Sterile syringe access prevents HIV and saves lives. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that syringe access programs lowered HIV incidence among people who inject drugs in the U.S. by: 80% A 2003 study of 99 cities worldwide found that each year: HIV/AIDS prevalence decreased 18% HIV/AIDS prevalence increased 8% in cities with syringe access. in cities without syringe access. Sterile syringe access can save money, too. A 2008 report from New York City found the cost of: One participant in a syringe access Treatment for one AIDS patient program is $500 per year. is $34,000 per year. In some U.S. cities and states, advocates have overcome drug war hostility to implement syringe access programs. New York HIV among people who inject drugs in New York fell by 75% in the decade following the introduction of syringe access. Seattle Clients of a Seattle syringe access program were 5 times more likely to enroll in drug treatment than those not in the program. Baltimore Neighborhoods in Baltimore with syringe access experienced an 11% decrease in break-ins and burglaries. Yet many states do not have any legal syringe access programs. States with no legal syringe access programs Countries like Switzerland, Australia, the U.K., and Germany that consistently implement syringe access programs have much lower rates of HIV among people who inject drugs. HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs Switzerland Australia U.K. Germany U.S. 1.4% 1.5% 2.3% 2.9% 15% The scientific consensus is that syringe access programs are an effective means of reducing HIV/AIDS. " After reviewing all of the research to date, the senior scientists of the Department and I have unanimously agreed that there is conclusive scientific evidence that syringe exchange programs, as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy, are an effective public health intervention that reduce the transmission of HIV and does not encourage the use of illegal drugs." U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher (March 17, 2000) Yet, the U.S. government refuses to provide funding for syringe access programs. $0 A federal ban reinstated by Congress in 2011 prohibits any federal assistance for syringe access programs. Tell Congress to end the federal syringe access funding ban: We are the Drug Policy Alliance. drugpolicy.org/AIDS %24