NCJ Number
107955
Date Published
1987
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This paper examines three issues raised by acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) that create complex problems for past and present drug users and for those involved in drug abuse treatment and prevention: discrimination; drug abuse treatment, confidentiality, and reporting conflicts; and the 'clean needles' controversy.
Abstract
Those who use drugs intravenously, or who have done so in recent years, are among the groups at highest risk for AIDS in the United States. Those labeled as drug abusers and AIDS carriers face a double dose of discrimination. State and Federal laws that prohibit employment discrimination against the handicapped provide some protection from discrimination based on drug abuse and AIDS-related conditions. Drug treatment programs must determine whether and how to test, treat, and tell others about their increasing population of patients with AIDS. Federal laws protect the privacy of persons being treated for drug abuse and the confidentiality of all treatment records. There are no Federal and few State laws that provide comparable protection for those tested or treated for AIDS. The matter is further complicated by most States' mandating the reporting of AIDS cases to public health authorities. To reduce the risk of AIDS, health and drug-abuse professionals recommend that people stop using drugs intravenously or else stop sharing or reusing needles. Some experts propose that sterile needles be made more accessible to drug abusers. This would require the removal of legal and other barriers.