AIDS

Global Commission on Drug Policy outlines several pitfalls on international and U.S. domestic policies on drug use

by Leilani Attilio, NC Harm Reduction

Today, March 21st, is: National Day of Action on Syringe Exchange

No more federal dollars for syringe exchange: that was the message from Congress less than 3 months ago.

The funding ban is back, and the timing couldn’t be worse — with tight state budgets, and signs that many painkiller users are injecting or switching to heroin, our nation's syringe exchange programs need more support than ever. The National Harm Reduction Coalition, the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition and our allies are pulling out all the stops this time to demand that Congress and the federal government set politics aside, and we need your help.

On March 21, we’re going to make our voices heard around the country. Local meetings with US Senators, media events to highlight issues, and a National Call-in Day sponsored by a dozen organizations will serve to highlight our opposition and commitment to not backing down.

What: National Day of Action on Syringe Exchange

WHAT WOULD SYRINGE DECRIMINALIZATION DO?

The N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition recently launched a new outreach program for Hispanic farm workers and day laborers, a group at high risk for infectious disease. Due to the grueling physical requirements of their jobs, many migrant workers inject vitamins for strength, as well as pain relievers. The absence of women (80% of farm workers are men) creates a demand for sex workers, and in case of infection, there is little to no medical care available due to the legal status of many migrant workers.

Fermin is a migrant worker from Guatemala. In 2005 he made the difficult decision to leave his wife and five children to come to North Carolina in search of work. He crossed at the Arizona border after 45 days travel, 15 in the desert with no food or water.

I’m going to be really honest with you: after all the fights at the mall to get just the right present for everybody and the giant hassle of going to the Post Office so I can get the perfect stamps for my cards – and then worrying that I left someone off the list – I am just not in the mood to do a 9/11 story.

And it’s been getting worse every year. I mean, just like the “It’s Christmas Every Day Store”, I know there’s one of the “9/11 Every Day” stores open, in the all-too-human form of Rudy Giuliani, and I’ve learned to live with that, but it seems like they got started with the 9/11 earlier than ever this year – and by the time the TV memorials and analysis and retrospectives are all over, to paraphrase Lewis Black…I’m going to hate freedom.

In an effort to stave off this fate, we’ll be headed in a different direction today: I have three stories to pass along; each is important enough that you really should know about them, and yet they’re each very much bite-sized and easily digestible.

It’s all good stuff…so let’s get right to it.

I watched the "Senator No" documentary on WUNC and strongly recommend it.

It aired last night at 9:00 pm but I believe it will air again, as most UNC shows do, maybe in another time slot this weekend.

It's pretty even-handed -- probably won't change anyone's mind about Helms' legacy, but it is interesting. It's always interesting to me to see people fleshed out a bit. At times Helms did seem human.