According to a survey conducted by the state Department of Health
Services and the University of California-Berkeley, the majority of
Californians support access to clean needles for injection drug users
and condoms for prisoners to fight the spread of HIV.
"These clearly make sense and the survey indicates strong support
that the state should pay for these programs," said lead researcher Joel
Moskowitz. While Contra Costa and Alameda counties declared local states
of emergency in 1999 to access county money for needle exchange
programs, most California counties prohibit the use of county funds for
such programs. Sexual activity is illegal in state prisons, and
distributing condoms would send a mixed message, said Terry Thornton,
spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections.
The survey showed that 62 percent of Californians believe condoms for
prisoners and needle exchange policies are effective and support state
funding to carry them out. Fifty percent or more of Californians support
requiring HIV testing for pregnant women, requiring physicians to report
HIV cases to the state, and providing clean needles to injection drug
users in prison. "These are more radical than some of the current
approaches," said Maya Tholandi, a study co-author from the state Office
of AIDS. Ten to 19 percent of California's 126,000 reported AIDS cases
can be traced to injection drug use, she said.
Nearly everyone who participated in the telephone survey correctly
answered questions about the likely methods of contracting HIV, such as
having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive person or sharing a needle
with someone with HIV.
