Pubdate: Thu, 17 May 2007 Source: Austin American-Statesman (TX) Copyright: 2007 Austin American-Statesman Contact: http://www.statesman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/32 Author: Corrie MacLaggan, American-Statesman Staff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) NEEDLE EXCHANGE BILL MIGHT BE DEAD Texas Is the Only State Not to Allow Syringe Swaps A Senate-approved proposal to allow syringe exchange programs in Texas appears to be dead in a House committee. The bill seeks to reduce infections of diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C by providing clean syringes to drug addicts in exchange for dirty ones. Texas is the only state in which needle exchange programs are not allowed, according to the bill's author, Sen. Bob. Deuell, R-Greenville. Rep. Dianne White Delisi, R-Temple, chairwoman of the House Public Health Committee, held a hearing on the proposal earlier this week but said later she has no intention of bringing the bill to a vote. "I'm not persuaded that the public health benefit outweighs my concerns and my constituents' concerns about illegal intravenous drug use," Delisi said. But Deuell, who is a physician, said: "Evidence is overwhelming that it does not increase drug use." In fact, he said, needle exchange programs cut disease infection rates and help addicts get into treatment programs. "Unfortunately, some people are scared they'll be seen as encouraging drug use," he said. "But I live in a conservative, Republican district and no one in my district has told me anything adverse about this bill." The Legislature considered a needle exchange program in 2005. Delisi didn't grant that proposal a public hearing in her House committee. This session, Delisi said, she agreed to give the bill a hearing because Deuell was sponsoring some of her proposals in the Senate. During the hearing Monday, which Delisi did not attend, no one testified against the proposal. Those who spoke in favor of it included Dr. Peter Lurie of Public Citizen, a national, nonprofit public interest organization in Washington, D.C. "This is an emergency that we're dealing with," Lurie told the panel. "Somewhere, today, in the state of Texas, at this very moment, there is a person holding an HIV-positive syringe, and at this moment, they might be about to put that in their forearm, causing HIV infection to themselves and perhaps later, to their sex partners and their children." Austinite Benny Hernandez told the panel that his 33-year-old cousin died two weeks earlier of complications from AIDS after contracting HIV from intravenous use of drugs including heroin. He said an exchange program could have helped addicts such as his cousin get connected with substance abuse treatment. "He was always looking to get treatment, but it seems like you have to go to prison in order to get some help," Hernandez said after he testified. Rep. Garnet Coleman of Houston, a member of the Public Health Committee, said he's disappointed the bill isn't moving forward because it would have saved lives. Delisi's "favorite line is, 'When you're chair of Public Health, you can pass it out,' " said Coleman, a Democrat in the GOP-controlled Legislature. "Is that when hell freezes over?" - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath