Politics Polarizing Issues In Needle-Exchange Study
POINTED ASSERTION: Dennis Fisher contends that his clinical trial examining methods of obtaining clean syringes is both ethical and valid. Though a federally appointed panel of scientists and ethicists in December okayed the continuation of a controversial needle-exchange clinical trial at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, questions still linger over the ethical and scientific nature of the study. At the same time, the project offers a view of how science can be politicized. Despite survey
Feb 2, 1997
![]() POINTED ASSERTION: Dennis Fisher contends that his clinical trial examining methods of obtaining clean syringes is both ethical and valid. |
Study after study shows that needle-exchange programs (NEPs), in which drug users trade used syringes for clean ones, reduce the spread of blood-borne disease among injecting drug addicts. Several European countries, including France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands, as well as Australia and Canada, have had...
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