Trying to solve one problem by creating a couple more. Great.

unsurpassed madness.

Hardly, tommy. The only thing maddening is people who seem to think the government exists to solve your every problem, regardless of how you got into these problems. Handing out needles to addicts makes no more sense than handing out bulletproof vests to gang members. It’s not a solution, it’s a fantasy.

Who would start using heroin just for the fact that they can receive clean needles? Who in their right mind would start behaving in such a way?

I don’t believe I said that- care to quote where I did?

TIS said it best when he said the government shouldn’t hand out free condoms. Well the way the real world works is that people are going to have sex,abuse drugs and alcohol and behave irresponsibly.

“Behave irresponsibly”?

You just contradicted yourself. “Behave irresponsibly” carries the implication of choice.

As a taxpayer wouldn’t you conclude since it is impossible to regulate personal behaviour it would be in all taxpayers interest to say hey if folks choose to live irreaponsibly and we can’t just throw people in jail for living their lives that way so wouldn’t it be a good idea to reduce the spread of disease by giving away free needles and condoms.

No, that isn’t my conclusion.

What folks choose to do isn’t relevant, and neither is the fact that we can regulate it, prevent it or stop it entirely.

As I taxpayer, I do not want to make the issue worse or promote said irresponsible behaviour. The problem here is the choice to do the drug. Handing out clean needles, no matter what side benefits it may have, not only promotes the behavior but condones it. It only worsens the problem, and does nothing to better it.

It is like saying pedophilia is a personal behavior we can not regulate. So, once we locate a pedophile we should give out child sized blow up sex dolls to make his/her behavior “better”.

You aren’t addressing the problem- you are making patchwork non-solutions that makes the problem worse, and condones it.

Do you think they give one rats ass whether they have a clean needle or not?

Looking for that next hit some will sell their bodies, sell their positions, rob stores, do whatever it takes to get that next ‘fix’, so worrying about a clean needle is not something I think they are going to give a crap about.

This is nothing more than a ‘feel good’ policy put in place not to help the ‘junkies’, the addicts, ect with keeping the spread of disease down, (this is delusional thinking considering how they will act to get their next fix) but a way of not dealing with the probelm at hand, a simple glossing over of the problem, we tried – we gave you clean needles. Not only does this show a lack of understanding of the drug users, but shows the lack of morality in helping them with thier addictions by giving them the means to do more drugs or at least an easier means. This is nothing more than something to make people feel good, that they are in some way ‘trying’ to help the addicts, junkies, ect with their problems….trouble is it does not hing to help them with their problems at all, you just give them a fresh needle o stick in thier arms.

By the way – to return to the word Junkie for a moment, take a look at this definition:

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The most common term of the word junkie (or junky) is to describe a drug addict. Also, people enthusiastic about any specific thing sometimes call themselves junkies (as in the term “science fiction junkie” or “political junkie”).

Link

“I don’t understand how it is seen by other folks as a bad thing trying to prevent a potential pandemic.”

It has already been explained to you, clearly and methodically. You are discouraging bad choices by encouraging worse choices. Or, if you look at it from your perspective, it is still an illogical approach- preventing a “pandemic” by encouraging an even worse “pandemic”:

To “prevent a potential pandemic” (STD’s) you are encouraging an even worse “pandemic”- drug use (by your own definition, since drug use is a disease also).

That is an illogical approach- preventing a pandemic by encouraging an even worse pandemic.

to minimize the spread of disease the druggies should stop using drugs via needles.

tommy wrote, “I don’t understand how it is seen by other folks as a bad thing trying to prevent a potential pandemic.”

The METHOD is the bad thing – NOT “trying to prevent a potential pandemic.” CHOOSE ANOTHER METHOD of prevention tommy. GEEZ.

It’s like drunk drivers walking away from more accidents for some reason – maybe because the sober people who get hit are all tensed up because they are more aware. But then your METHOD is give free booze to people so that they are drunk and loose also and walk away from the accidents.

Ted if you apply that logic towards contraceptives such as condoms wouldn’t unwanted pregancies increase?

The difference being that getting pregnant isn’t illegal, where shooting up heroin is. The two are completely different subjects.

Ted if you apply that logic towards contraceptives such as condoms wouldn’t unwanted pregancies increase?

The way yopu apply the analogy is at fault.

A better analogy is that free condom use would encourage more sexual intercourse.

so should the government ban giving away free contraceptives Also?

Definately.

My tax dollars should not be used to promote an individual’s choice of sexual life style.

Keep my money out of your bedroom.

So giving out free needles in SF or here in NYC isn’t going to turn me or you or anybody into an IV drug user and if free,clean needles reduces the potential amount of citizens exposed to AIDS it is a good thing IMHO.

It isn’t about “turning me into a drug addict”. As I said in an earlier post, while intention and perhaps results are noble the side effect of doing this is that it actually promotes the drug habit. It does nothing to encourage the real solution- which is individual accountability (accepting reponsibilty for one’s own actions).

In that sense, the governement is using my tax money to promote this behaviour, and that is completely unacceptable.