Tom Coburn: “This amendment violates the very sincere and straightforward principles that we have learned about addiction. I want to…”

“This amendment violates the very sincere and straightforward principles that we have learned about addiction. I want to read to my colleagues about a participant who drove up, did not have to give her name in a free New York needle exchange program. Here is what she said: I made a personal visit to the ``exchange'' and without one dirty needle to exchange, I was supplied with 40 clean needles, alcohol wipes, cotton balls and cookers, along with a graphic description of the proper way to shoot up so as to protect my health and prevent my loved ones from knowing I was using drugs. Her instructions were, ``Don't shoot up in your neck. If you get bad dope, your head can explode.'' I was also provided a needle exchange card making me exempt from arrest or prosecution if I were to be stopped by police and found to be carrying clean needles, a felony under New York law. I lied in response to every question and purposely reported I had been shooting up for only 6 months in the hope they would lean on me to come for counseling. In parting, I asked the worker whether I had to return the needles he had supplied me in order to get more. He said, no, I don't have to bring the needles back, but advised me to discard the used syringes in an opaque container so no one would see them.”