--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Drug warriors' staunch opposition to…" description: "\"Drug warriors' staunch opposition to needle exchanges to prevent the spread of HIV in addicts delayed the programs' widespread introduction in most sta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/maia-szalavitz-21394_addict_drug-warriors-staunch-opposition-to-need_1898345.jpg" --- # Drug warriors' staunch opposition to needle exchanges to… ![“Drug warriors' staunch opposition to needle exchanges to prevent the spread of HIV in addicts delayed the programs' widespread introduction in most states for years. A federal ban on funding for these programs wasn't lifted until 2009. Contrast this with what happened in the U.K. At the peak of…” quote by Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/maia-szalavitz-21394_addict_drug-warriors-staunch-opposition-to-need_1898345.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/maia-szalavitz-21394_addict_drug-warriors-staunch-opposition-to-need_1898345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/maia-szalavitz-21394_addict_drug-warriors-staunch-opposition-to-need_1898345.jpg) > “Drug warriors' staunch opposition to needle exchanges to prevent the spread of HIV in addicts delayed the programs' widespread introduction in most states for years. A federal ban on funding for these programs wasn't lifted until 2009. Contrast this with what happened in the U.K. At the peak of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1990s, the HIV infection rate in IV drug users in the U.K. was about 1%. In New York City, the American epicenter, that figure was 50%. The British had introduced widespread needle exchange in 1986. That country had no heterosexual AIDS epidemic.” [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Opposition to needle exchange delayed HIV prevention, while early adoption in the UK kept infection rates low. **In simple terms:** Early needle exchange saved lives. Key Takeaway Support evidence‑based harm reduction policies. Themes public health policy harm reduction Mood concerned hopeful Type policy educational When to use this quote - public health clinics - community outreach - policy advocacy Key Concepts epidemiology drug policy Questions to Reflect On - What evidence could sway skeptics? - How can we balance moral concerns with health outcomes? A Different Perspective Political resistance can stall life‑saving interventions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1990S Hiv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1990s-hiv-2785414/) [Addict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict/) [Aids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aids/) [Aids epidemic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aids-epidemic/) [Bans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bans/) [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Contrast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrast/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Delayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delayed/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Drug User](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-user/) [Drug Users](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-users/) [Epidemics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epidemics/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Funding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funding/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Hiv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hiv/) [Hiv Addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hiv-addicts-2785415/) [Infection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infection/) [Introduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introduction/) [Needle Exchange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needle-exchange-2218832/) [Needle Exchanges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needle-exchanges-2785413/) [Needles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needles/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [New york city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york-city/) [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Rate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rate/) [Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spread/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Users](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/users/) [War on drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-on-drugs/) [Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warrior/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [York City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-city/) ## Related quotes > [We have not yet concluded that needle-exchange programs do not encourage drug use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-shalala/we-have-not-yet-concluded-that-needle-exchange-programs-do-not/) [Donna Shalala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-shalala/) > [In the 1980s and the 1990s, when HIV hit its peak, the gay community was at the forefront of the fight against the silent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-flock/in-the-1980s-and-the-1990s-when-hiv-hit-its-peak-the-gay-community/) [Elizabeth Flock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-flock/) > [There is a safe, nontoxic drug called naloxone that can instantly reverse opioid overdose and prevent most of these deaths. But the drug war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/there-is-a-safe-nontoxic-drug-called-naloxone-that-can-instantly/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [The AIDS disease is caused by a virus, but the AIDS epidemic is not. The AIDS epidemic is fueled by stigma, by hate, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/the-aids-disease-is-caused-by-a-virus-but-the-aids-epidemic-is-not/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [On the The AIDS Epidemic: This is a war. It has killed more people than has been the case in all previous wars and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/on-the-the-aids-epidemic-this-is-a-war-it-has-killed-more-people-than/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Though we don't have a cure for cancer we at least have stopped being too ashamed to even say the name of the disease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mullen/though-we-don-t-have-a-cure-for-cancer-we-at-least-have-stopped-being/) [Laura Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mullen/) > [Those of us who lived through the worst of the HIV/AIDS epidemic from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s have a very special spot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mixner/those-of-us-who-lived-through-the-worst-of-the-hiv-aids-epidemic-from/) [David Mixner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mixner/) > [I believe UNAIDS' provocative leadership has been critical in addressing the AIDS epidemic and converting it from a death sentence to a chronic health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tedros-adhanom/i-believe-unaids-provocative-leadership-has-been-critical-in/) [Tedros Adhanom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tedros-adhanom/) > [When the HIV/AIDS epidemic first appeared, a lot of the reaction was that it's not happening here. It doesn't exist. It's not on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/when-the-hiv-aids-epidemic-first-appeared-a-lot-of-the-reaction-was/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [“What happened to all those leading men of the great bacchanalia? They either died of AIDS or accepted roles as supporting actors in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/what-happened-to-all-those-leading-men-of-the-great-bacchanalia-they/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [The AIDS epidemic began before I was born - I've never known a world without it. And yet, despite its omnipresence in our lives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett-bell/the-aids-epidemic-began-before-i-was-born-i-ve-never-known-a-world/) [Jurnee Smollett-Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett-bell/) > [ Larry \[Kramer\] had already experienced so much loss by then from the AIDS epidemic. But I don't think it changed anything between us. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sessums/larry-kramer-had-already-experienced-so-much-loss-by-then-from-the/) [Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sessums/) > [The AIDS epidemic, rather than being a scourge, is a welcome development in the inevitable reduction of human population... If it didn't exist, radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foreman/the-aids-epidemic-rather-than-being-a-scourge-is-a-welcome/) [David Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foreman/) > [The AIDS epidemic has rolled back a big rotting log and revealed all the squirming life underneath it, since it involves, all at once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-aids-epidemic-has-rolled-back-a-big-rotting-log-and-revealed-all/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I started to write about science and medicine at the 'Washington Post,' in the early days of the AIDS epidemic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/i-started-to-write-about-science-and-medicine-at-the-washington-post/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) ## More by Maia Szalavitz > [Punishment by definition isn't going to help. So what you need to do is to help people to change and recover is to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/punishment-by-definition-isn-t-going-to-help-so-what-you-need-to-do/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [There's traditionally been two different ways of seeing addiction. Either it's a sin and you're a horrible bad person and you are just choosing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/there-s-traditionally-been-two-different-ways-of-seeing-addiction/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [The thing about our drug laws is that they're not based on science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/the-thing-about-our-drug-laws-is-that-they-re-not-based-on-science/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [Marijuana is not not harmful, but is the least harmful psychoactive substance that we have, with the possible exception of caffeine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/marijuana-is-not-not-harmful-but-is-the-least-harmful-psychoactive/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [There is a safe, nontoxic drug called naloxone that can instantly reverse opioid overdose and prevent most of these deaths. But the drug war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/there-is-a-safe-nontoxic-drug-called-naloxone-that-can-instantly/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [When President Nixon declared war on drugs on June 17, 1971, about 110 people per 100,000 in the population were incarcerated. Today, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/when-president-nixon-declared-war-on-drugs-on-june-17-1971-about-110/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [Because of the war on drugs, pain patients are treated with skepticism and pain doctors live in fear of being prosecuted for overprescribing. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/because-of-the-war-on-drugs-pain-patients-are-treated-with-skepticism/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [I think our drug laws need to be made scientifically, as best as possible, recognizing that values will always be part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/i-think-our-drug-laws-need-to-be-made-scientifically-as-best-as/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [Addiction is when you fall in love with a drug instead of a child or a lover and the learning that takes part in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/addiction-is-when-you-fall-in-love-with-a-drug-instead-of-a-child-or/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [We should not be putting kids in cages and hoping that is going to fix their psychological problems of any type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/we-should-not-be-putting-kids-in-cages-and-hoping-that-is-going-to/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [I don't have kids, but I've often noticed when people first become parents they seem to completely forget their own adolescence and they start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/i-don-t-have-kids-but-i-ve-often-noticed-when-people-first-become/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [In order for people to recover, we can't just say 'love is all we need.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/in-order-for-people-to-recover-we-can-t-just-say-love-is-all-we-need/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [If you're worried about a kid and drug use, the safest, best thing to do is individual counseling or family therapy, none of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/if-you-re-worried-about-a-kid-and-drug-use-the-safest-best-thing-to/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [Incarceration is as useful for addiction as it is for diabetes - i.e., not useful and potentially harmful, particularly for kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/incarceration-is-as-useful-for-addiction-as-it-is-for-diabetes-i-e/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) > [In a criminal justice setting, it's very hard to create a therapeutic environment where people do feel safe, but the real important thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-szalavitz/in-a-criminal-justice-setting-it-s-very-hard-to-create-a-therapeutic/) [Maia Szalavitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) [Explore all 29 Maia Szalavitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-szalavitz/) ## More Addict quotes > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Taxpayers would likely be responsible for treating addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/taxpayers-would-likely-be-responsible-for-treating-addicts/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They said a drug addict needs rehabilitation, they never said what a broken heart needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satyajit-chhotaray/they-said-a-drug-addict-needs-rehabilitation-they-never-said-what-a/) [Satyajit Chhotaray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satyajit-chhotaray/) > [I was ashamed. My son is a drug addict. What does this mean about me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-was-ashamed-my-son-is-a-drug-addict-what-does-this-mean-about-me/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [So many kids are fat drug addicts these days, it's almost as if Rush Limbaugh had puppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/so-many-kids-are-fat-drug-addicts-these-days-it-s-almost-as-if-rush/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-m-a-complete-addict-of-the-x-factor-so-i-can-see-why-everyone-gets/) [Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/) > [“I don’t fundamentally understand why people give a shit about what other people put up their noses or what other people put in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/i-don-t-fundamentally-understand-why-people-give-a-shit-about-what/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-not-heroin-or-cocaine-that-makes-one-an-addict-it-is-the-need/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [… an outlaw gulch, a haven for draft resisters, struggling artists, and drug addicts…a camp for semi-demented adults… Venice is like the legendary Phoenix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-davidson/an-outlaw-gulch-a-haven-for-draft-resisters-struggling-artists-and/) [Sara Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-davidson/) > [I had to come to terms about becoming an addict, which, for a long time, I lied to myself about the status of until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-had-to-come-to-terms-about-becoming-an-addict-which-for-a-long-time/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [“Addiction is a decision. An individual wants something, whatever that something is, and makes a desicion to get it. Once they have it, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/addiction-is-a-decision-an-individual-wants-something-whatever-that/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) [Browse all 634 Addict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Drug warriors' staunch opposition to needle exchanges to prevent the spread of HIV in addicts delayed the programs' widespread introduction in most states for years. A federal ban on funding for these programs wasn't lifted until 2009. Contrast this with what happened in the U.K. At the peak of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1990s, the HIV infection rate in IV drug users in the U.K. was about 1%. In New York City, the American epicenter, that figure was 50%. The British had introduced widespread needle exchange in 1986. 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