Pubdate: Tue, 03 Dec 2002
Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)
Copyright: 2002 Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Contact:  http://www.newscoast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/398

SF RESEARCHER SAYS NO TO WAR ON DRUGS

A San Francisco Researcher Says The War On Drugs Is Causing More Harm Than 
The Drugs Themselves

More than a thousand public health workers and researchers are in Seattle 
this week for the National Harm Reduction conference. These people work 
with drug addicts and favor "harm reduction" strategies.

That means needle-exchange programs to stop Hepatitis C and AIDS, drug 
substitution and compassionate counseling for addicts.

They disagree with the "just say no" approach.

Patt Denning is director of clinical services and research with the Harm 
Reduction Therapy Center in San Francisco. In her words -- "Drug 
prohibition is what causes the greatest harm, not drugs."

Denning dismisses the idea that users must hit rock-bottom before they can 
be helped. And she criticizes methods of drug therapy that use punishment 
to get addicts to kick their habits.
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MAP posted-by: Beth