December 18, 2007
Congress Lifts Ban on D.C. Needle Exchange Program
Say what you will about the $515.7 billion spending bill the House of Representatives passed yesterday, there is a silver-lining for the District -- the ban on the use of public funds for needle-exchange programs was finally lifted.
For the past nine years Congressional Republicans successfully prohibited the District from using any of its resources to promote needle-exchange programs, regardless of their efficacy in combating the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS. As a consequence, the only needle-exchange program of any significance was run by the organization PreventionWorks on a shoe-string budget of private contributions, serving only a third of the city's estimated 9,700 intravenous drug users.
Though the ban was initially lifted earlier this year by the House, the Senate reinstated it during budget deliberations. It was finally removed during the debate over the omnibus spending bill passed yesterday, which allocates money to 14 Cabinet agencies. District officials have already announced plans to put $1 million towards needle-exchange programs in 2008.
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ofcourse they dont want to promote needle exchange programs, they want the people with HIV/AIDS to be quarrantined.
This is good news for all you folks addicted to injectable drugs.
But what about us alcoholics? When is this city going to institute a program where I can trade in my empty whiskey bottles for full ones?
of course, bush'll probably veto this bill, or the needle exchange ban will get reinserted in conference or something like that. i wouldn't start celebrating yet. the house approved a voting member for the district too, and look where we are with that (god i'm a pessimist today).
It would be nice if the District government would figure out how competently to fulfill the basic functions of a city government (working fire hydrants, non-poisonous drinking water, etc.) before throwing money at programs like these.
But then again, the crack-head constituency in this city is probably the highest of any city in the nation (*cough* Marion Barry *cough*).
the president will sign the bill and there will be no conference, so the provision is safe. but i'm with jeffrey. maybe we should urge members to oppose it until they add some whiskey langauge.
I tried to exchange a used condom for an unused one and they just called the police. I guess because it still had a penis in it.
Jeffrey, replace it with what? The bottles tossed onto my street mostly contain what I have to guess is urine. Seriously, among the many social ills of drinking, littering is the one that really gets me. My son thinks that empties on the street is situation normal.
Re: Congress graciously and maybe temporarily lifting a ban on how we spend our own damn tax revenues, thank you, massah.
Jeffrey, replace it with what? The bottles tossed onto my street mostly contain what I have to guess is urine. Seriously, among the many social ills of drinking, littering is the one that really gets me. My son thinks that empties on the street is situation normal.
Re: Congress graciously and maybe temporarily lifting a ban on how we spend our own damn tax revenues, thank you, massah.
Next year, can they insert a provision allowing the district to count the votes from the medical marijuana legalization referendum of several years back?
Next year, can they insert a provision allowing the district to count the votes from the medical marijuana legalization referendum of several years back?
whoever wrote this is a bit ahead of themselves. The ban has not been lifted yet! The Senate must still pass the omnibus, the House must again approve the omnibus (if the Senate makes changes to what the House passed last night) and, most importantly, President Bush must sign the omnibus bill in order to get this ban lifted. The chances are good that we will see this ban gone by this weekend, but we can't assume it's a done deal yet!
whoever wrote this is a bit ahead of themselves. The ban has not been lifted yet! The Senate must still pass the omnibus, the House must again approve the omnibus (if the Senate makes changes to what the House passed last night) and, most importantly, President Bush must sign the omnibus bill in order to get this ban lifted. The chances are good that we will see this ban gone by this weekend, but we can't assume it's a done deal yet!
Can DCist implement a plan that allows us to exchange duplicate comments for a shot of whiskey?
Does Gothamist somehow fall under the category of "needle-exchange program?" I mean, this site is kind of an addiction and with extra funding, maybe they could fix the comments!
OK. Here's the deal: we exchange double posts, empty 40s, and used condoms for 1/2 price on rail shots and all-you-can-toke "medical" marijuana at the "clinic" (i.e., the stoner steps near Quarry Road and Lanier Place).
Hello, folks, this is Lolly, Sr., saying we have every perversion in the book, so come on down and look.
Plenty of well dressed folks around Quarry & Lanier getting clubbed and relieved of their cell phones, ipods & wallets - does that count?