Would you treat an alcoholic with a shot of Jack Daniel’s?

The answer to the question is no, but I think the Obama administration would suggest that providing the shot glass to the alcoholic would  be acceptable. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin is bringing back direct federal funding for a drug needle exchange program.

No idea how or why the federal government has any role in spending funds for drug addiction programs, but that’s another post. From the Washington Examiner.

The Obama administration has designated intravenous needle exchanges as a drug treatment program, allowing federal money set aside to treat addictions to be used to distribute syringes to narcotics users.

The change marks a dramatic shift in the argument over needle exchange programs. Two years ago President Obama lifted the 21-year ban on federally funded needle exchange programs as a necessary evil to reduce the spread of HIV among illicit drug users. The new position, determined by the surgeon general, is that the states can receive federal funding for programs that hand out the syringes as a treatment.

I guess they could hand out lighters to smokers too.

Critics say the new policy is a step toward European-style treatment where the government provides the drugs and a clean room to inject them.

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

5 Comments

  1. Dimsdale on February 24, 2011 at 6:44 am

    The smoking argument is an excellent point: they ban that everywhere even though it is a legal product, but they can't manage to restrict access to an illegal product.

     

    Makes as much sense as San Francisco legislators seeking to ban circumcision while wholeheartedly supporting abortions.



  2. JohnK on February 24, 2011 at 3:14 pm

    When I saw the title of this post, I had a negative reaction.  I am a regular in the chatroom and a friend of Bill W.

    Giving an addict a clean needle is just a feel good policy which accomplishes nothing.  If the government wants to spend money, (which I oppose), we need more treatment facilities and more outreach into the population that uses drugs.

    We do not want a hand out, but a hand up.



  3. PatRiot on February 24, 2011 at 4:09 pm

    We are our own worst enemies.

    The American taxpayer gives his hard earned money to known spending addicts (politicians).  It works for the politicians, why won't it work for druggies?

    That is the learned response whether it is logical or not.



  4. Tim-in-Alabama on February 25, 2011 at 2:54 am

    If drugs which currently are illegal are legalized and taxed, then Obama supporters might finally start paying their share of taxes. However, this article would almost have one believe Obama is going to start providing his supporters with their fixes at taxpayer expense. Apparently, we missed the part in the healthcare debate where he clearly said, "If you like your illegal drugs, you'll be able to keep them under my plan, and if you qualify, they'll be provided for you."



  5. Lynn on February 26, 2011 at 9:23 am

    Wasn't it 1984, where the citizen's were all  on drugs? How far are we away from that, "Take your medicine to stay calm while we take away all your money."



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