Thomas Foley: “I want to first make the point there has been a lot of notion of felonious drug use and that we are going to promote it…”

“I want to first make the point there has been a lot of notion of felonious drug use and that we are going to promote it through opposition to this amendment. I remember a bumper sticker that used to say, ``If we outlaw guns, only the outlaws will have guns.'' Well, Mr. Chairman, if we outlaw needle exchange programs, then only the outlaws will have needles, dirty needles that are killing them. Clearly, I do not have any medical testimony that suggests that I have the perfect answer. But I will suggest that the Federal Government is spending $120,000 over their lifetime to care for somebody infected with HIV virus, and it costs 10 cents to provide a sterile needle. Mr. Chairman, I ask anyone listening to my voice, if given a free needle will they inject themselves? The attending physician here has people fainting by getting a flu shot. It is not something you would do naturally, is find a free needle and then suggest I think I will try heroin. It does not happen. But what is happening is the disease of AIDS is being spread through the use of hypodermic needles. Plain and simple.”