Clean-Needle Law Heartens Fresno Officials, Who See High Drug Use

[Guest guest]

CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

CALIFORNIA:

“Clean-Needle Law Heartens Fresno Officials, Who See High Drug Use”

Associated Press (09.25.04)::na Barbassa

A new California law that allows pharmacies to sell up to 10 syringes

without a prescription is an overdue measure that will help reduce

blood-borne

diseases, said Central Valley health officials and drug treatment

counselors.

While weaning IV drug users from dependency remains difficult, the measure

could

help prevent HIV and hepatitis C from spreading through shared injections,

said

Dennis Koch, administrator of Fresno County’s Alcohol and Drug Program.

Fresno and the surrounding area have 173 IV drug users per 10,000

people,

which, at three times the national average of 60 per 10,000 people, is the

nation’s highest rate, according to a

study in the September edition of the Journal of Urban Health - “Estimating

Numbers of Injecting Drug Users in Metropolitan Areas for Structural

Analyses of

Community Vulnerability and for Assessing Relative Degrees of Service

Provision

for Injecting Drug Users” (2004;81(3):377-400). Bakersfield, San Francisco

and

the Stockton-Lodi region were other California metro areas in the top 10 for

IV

drug use. Crystal methamphetamine is the most popular drug injected.

Fresno County had 251 new HIV infections in 2003, a 17.3 percent

increase

over 2002 - many from shared needles. Of Fresno County’s IV drug users

surveyed

in a recent pilot study, 75 percent had hepatitis C, compared to 2 percent

of

the general population. Other states that have taken steps such as

clean-needle

programs have reduced HIV infections by up to half, without increasing crime

or

drug use, studies have shown.

Fresno County spends $20 million a year to support drug-treatment

programs

and has obtained more such funding money in recent years. The county had

5,435

treatment clients in 1998. By 2002, 9,036 had received treatment, said Koch.

[Guest guest]

CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

CALIFORNIA:

“Clean-Needle Law Heartens Fresno Officials, Who See High Drug Use”

Associated Press (09.25.04)::na Barbassa

A new California law that allows pharmacies to sell up to 10 syringes

without a prescription is an overdue measure that will help reduce

blood-borne

diseases, said Central Valley health officials and drug treatment

counselors.

While weaning IV drug users from dependency remains difficult, the measure

could

help prevent HIV and hepatitis C from spreading through shared injections,

said

Dennis Koch, administrator of Fresno County’s Alcohol and Drug Program.

Fresno and the surrounding area have 173 IV drug users per 10,000

people,

which, at three times the national average of 60 per 10,000 people, is the

nation’s highest rate, according to a

study in the September edition of the Journal of Urban Health - “Estimating

Numbers of Injecting Drug Users in Metropolitan Areas for Structural

Analyses of

Community Vulnerability and for Assessing Relative Degrees of Service

Provision

for Injecting Drug Users” (2004;81(3):377-400). Bakersfield, San Francisco

and

the Stockton-Lodi region were other California metro areas in the top 10 for

IV

drug use. Crystal methamphetamine is the most popular drug injected.

Fresno County had 251 new HIV infections in 2003, a 17.3 percent

increase

over 2002 - many from shared needles. Of Fresno County’s IV drug users

surveyed

in a recent pilot study, 75 percent had hepatitis C, compared to 2 percent

of

the general population. Other states that have taken steps such as

clean-needle

programs have reduced HIV infections by up to half, without increasing crime

or

drug use, studies have shown.

Fresno County spends $20 million a year to support drug-treatment

programs

and has obtained more such funding money in recent years. The county had

5,435

treatment clients in 1998. By 2002, 9,036 had received treatment, said Koch.

[Guest guest]

CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

CALIFORNIA:

“Clean-Needle Law Heartens Fresno Officials, Who See High Drug Use”

Associated Press (09.25.04)::na Barbassa

A new California law that allows pharmacies to sell up to 10 syringes

without a prescription is an overdue measure that will help reduce

blood-borne

diseases, said Central Valley health officials and drug treatment

counselors.

While weaning IV drug users from dependency remains difficult, the measure

could

help prevent HIV and hepatitis C from spreading through shared injections,

said

Dennis Koch, administrator of Fresno County’s Alcohol and Drug Program.

Fresno and the surrounding area have 173 IV drug users per 10,000

people,

which, at three times the national average of 60 per 10,000 people, is the

nation’s highest rate, according to a

study in the September edition of the Journal of Urban Health - “Estimating

Numbers of Injecting Drug Users in Metropolitan Areas for Structural

Analyses of

Community Vulnerability and for Assessing Relative Degrees of Service

Provision

for Injecting Drug Users” (2004;81(3):377-400). Bakersfield, San Francisco

and

the Stockton-Lodi region were other California metro areas in the top 10 for

IV

drug use. Crystal methamphetamine is the most popular drug injected.

Fresno County had 251 new HIV infections in 2003, a 17.3 percent

increase

over 2002 - many from shared needles. Of Fresno County’s IV drug users

surveyed

in a recent pilot study, 75 percent had hepatitis C, compared to 2 percent

of

the general population. Other states that have taken steps such as

clean-needle

programs have reduced HIV infections by up to half, without increasing crime

or

drug use, studies have shown.

Fresno County spends $20 million a year to support drug-treatment

programs

and has obtained more such funding money in recent years. The county had

5,435

treatment clients in 1998. By 2002, 9,036 had received treatment, said Koch.

[Guest guest]

CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

CALIFORNIA:

“Clean-Needle Law Heartens Fresno Officials, Who See High Drug Use”

Associated Press (09.25.04)::na Barbassa

A new California law that allows pharmacies to sell up to 10 syringes

without a prescription is an overdue measure that will help reduce

blood-borne

diseases, said Central Valley health officials and drug treatment

counselors.

While weaning IV drug users from dependency remains difficult, the measure

could

help prevent HIV and hepatitis C from spreading through shared injections,

said

Dennis Koch, administrator of Fresno County’s Alcohol and Drug Program.

Fresno and the surrounding area have 173 IV drug users per 10,000

people,

which, at three times the national average of 60 per 10,000 people, is the

nation’s highest rate, according to a

study in the September edition of the Journal of Urban Health - “Estimating

Numbers of Injecting Drug Users in Metropolitan Areas for Structural

Analyses of

Community Vulnerability and for Assessing Relative Degrees of Service

Provision

for Injecting Drug Users” (2004;81(3):377-400). Bakersfield, San Francisco

and

the Stockton-Lodi region were other California metro areas in the top 10 for

IV

drug use. Crystal methamphetamine is the most popular drug injected.

Fresno County had 251 new HIV infections in 2003, a 17.3 percent

increase

over 2002 - many from shared needles. Of Fresno County’s IV drug users

surveyed

in a recent pilot study, 75 percent had hepatitis C, compared to 2 percent

of

the general population. Other states that have taken steps such as

clean-needle

programs have reduced HIV infections by up to half, without increasing crime

or

drug use, studies have shown.

Fresno County spends $20 million a year to support drug-treatment

programs

and has obtained more such funding money in recent years. The county had

5,435

treatment clients in 1998. By 2002, 9,036 had received treatment, said Koch.