NCJ Number
160126
Date Published
1991
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Based on 2 years of hearings and site visits the National Commission on AIDS concludes that the Federal government has failed to recognize and confront the twin epidemics of drug abuse and HIV infection and that strategy of drug interdiction and increased prison sentences has done nothing to change the situation.
Abstract
Approximately 32 percent of all adult and adolescent AIDS cases are related to intravenous drug use. Of the pediatric AIDS cases related to a mother with HIV infection or who is at risk for it, 70 percent are directly related to maternal exposure to HIV through IV drug use or sex with an intravenous drug user. Seventy-one percent of all female AIDS cases are linked directly or indirectly to intravenous drug use. Nineteen percent of AIDS cases among males are directly linked to intravenous drug use; an additional 7 percent are linked to both homosexual or bisexual contact and intravenous drug use. These twin epidemics transcend all economic, geographic, and racial boundaries; everyone is affected. However, the Office of national Drug Control Policy continues to virtually ignore the link between drug use and HIV infection and to neglect the real public health and treatment measures which could and must be taken to halt the spread. Drug treatment on demand is urgently needed, as are outreach programs that operate needle exchanges and distribute bleach. The Federal Government must coordinate public health and drug treatment on all levels and create and implement a cohesive national plan. Finally, all levels of government and the private sector must work together to address the deep-rooted social and economic problems that promote and sustain drug abuse. List of recommended actions, footnotes, reference notes, and appended figures