And they are not criminals and should not be jailed for their problem nor judged by others. Absolutely yes, not just both from a public health standpoint but for humanitarian reasons. Drugs are being used whether they are legal or not. This is a shocking example of hatred of people who use drugs. The science has been done for years, public opinion supports needle exchange.
Contact allows other services to be offered, i.e., access to treatment.
Unfortunately, this access is not always timely, as treatment facilities usually have long waiting lists. People do not stop using drugs just because we as a society make buying and selling drugs a crime. Someone who is addicted to heroin is going to shoot heroin no matter what, because when addicted, a person's body needs opiates in order to function normally. A person using a clean syringe and sterile supplies cannot contract HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from his or her use of injection drugs. Knowing the foregoing, and failing to provide, in adequate numbers, sterile syringes and other supplies to active injection drug users, is a human rights violation.