Needle Exchange Program (Bad Idea) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Needle Exchange Program (Bad Idea) - Essay Example and sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), as well as overdosing and having higher mortality rates.† (O’Neill, et al, p.3) Needle exchange program is a program which provides the drug users an opportunity to exchange their used needles with sterilized fresh needle for free or at a reduced price in order to prevent the spreading of diseases. In Canada like countries the used needle is not at all required It is a controversial subject because of the ethical issues involved in it. Everybody knows that drug usage is a social evil which needs to be removed from the society. Drug users create lot of problems in the society like violence, theft, rape and abuses and hence the authorities must find ways for removing it from the society. The article â€Å"Aids action, Policy facts† published in June 2001, argues that the needle exchange programs (NEPs) can prevent the transmission of HIV. (Aids action, Policy facts) Drug users often share the drugs and the needle in order to reduce the expenses. They will utilize the same needle for injecting many. If one of them in the group has HIV, the entire group members will get the HIV through the usage of the same needle. The article again explains the savings a country can make through the needle exchange programs (NEPs). It says; the mathematical models predict that NEPs prevent HIV infections among injecting drug users, their partners, and family members at a cost of approximately $9,400 per avoided HIV infection. Considering the lifetime cost of treating a person living with HIV/AIDS is approximately $200,000, this represents a 95.3 percent savings per life. (Aids action, Policy facts) The Guardian news paper dated December 12, 2008 says that â€Å"For every infe ction like HIV or hepatitis C that we prevent, we are saving the province $100,000 to $150,000. We think that it’s certainly worth investing in.† (The Guardian 18/12/08)  Ã‚   Nowadays everybody thinks about the business or profit part of a topic. Each and