In Memoriam: Dave Purchase, Needle Exchange Pioneer

From Stop theWar.org  http://stopthedrugwar.org/

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2013/feb/21/memoriam_dave_purchase_needle_ex

Needle exchange pioneer Dave Purchase died last month in Tacoma, Washington, where he had long resided and where he began handing out sterile syringes to prevent the spread of AIDS among intravenous drug users back in the summer of 1998. Purchase died on January 21 of complications from pneumonia. He was 73.

Dave Purchase

Purchase is widely cited as having started the first needle exchange in the country, although that is difficult to verify.


While the most dominant treatment use in the United States is a violation of the 1st Amendment of

the constitution as 7 court cases concluded that the 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous is substantially religious. Fact is that there is no scientific support for the 12 Step programs that are so forcefully pushed on patients with an extremely low rate of "recovery".

Comparably, syringe exchange program makes a point of evidence based on science, and Dave Purchase have created protocols and best practice documentation to run these programs. Unfortunately some of this Syringe Exchange programs are not all together scientifically base and make their policies and regulations and treatment protocols basically on capriccios speculations. Harm Reduction have put their nose to the grind where science is concern. They will make mistakes, but will take correction when needed. That is one of the signs of good science, another is bending themselves backwards proving themselves wrong.