DAY AND NIGHT: COMPARING DRUG STRATEGIES AND CONSEQUENCES IN USA AND AUSTRALIA:

from our friend and colleague down under, Alex Wodak, come the following observations (as always, comments and opposing views welcomed):

Annual AIDS incidence (number of new AIDS cases ayear) in the USA is 14.7 per 100,000 ; that is the highest (by a factor of 3-5) in the developed world; the comparable figure forAustralia is 1.2 per 100,000

The USA (population 300 million) provides 25 million needles and syringes a year; Australia (population 20 million) provides 32 million needles and syringes a year

At least 1/3 of new AIDS cases in the USA are injecting drug users; less than 5% of of new AIDS cases in Australia are injecting drug users

Fortunately, saving lives is considered even more important in Australia than 'sending the right message'. But the US has helped many other countries to work out what HIV prevention policies to follow by allowing its people to be used as a negative control.