The clean needle exchange program has been proven to offer a variety of benefits. Author Sam Savage argues in his article “Why a Needle-Exchange Program is a Bad Idea” that giving clean needles out doesn’t discourage people to stop using drugs, drug addicts will still die in a assorted ways, sterile needles don’t address the underlying problems addicts are ‘avoiding’, and sterile needles offer a path of least resistance.

Although at first the program does seem counterintuitive in the fact that your giving drug addicts the means to do drugs, that’s not the case. It’s been proven that drug use does not increase with the clean needle exchange program and in fact it’s more likely for people to seek treatment after using this program. Drug addicts are always at risk for death because they’re using life threatening substances. By providing them with clean needles it gives them one less way to possibly die. HIV and AIDS is a huge problem amongst drug users because they will use a dirty needle if they must just so they can feel that high. The purpose of the program is to hopefully keep drug addicts from dying due to a diseases transmitted through needles. Without the program more and more people would be dying than if the programs continue. The program isn’t designed to help addicts deal with their issues of drug abuse and help them mentally. It’s designed to physically save people from dying of disease. I don’t think it’s a fair assessment to assume drug addicts are avoiding their underlying problems or that offering them ways to be a little bit safer is a way of avoiding their problems with drug abuse either. I’m not a drug addict so I only have the experiences of those around me to base my opinion off of; however I think most drug users are very aware of their drug problem. Addiction is such a complicated, and complex disease it’s often so difficult for drug addicts to stop using that they die before they can seek treatment. I don’t think that they’re avoiding their problem I just believe it’s extremely difficult for them to fix their problem. Sterile needles are not the path of least resistance. Providing needles is an effective way to at least save some lives with the means that we have. The path of least resistance would be doing absolutely nothing. Providing sterile needles is a way to reduce the spread of disease and keep people safer longer until they are ready to get the help they need.

Savage, Sam. “Why a Needle-Exchange Program Is a Bad Idea – Redorbit.”Redorbit. N.p., 26 Aug. 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.