America Living With AIDS

Report Number Five:
The Twin Epidemics of Substance Use and HIV
July 1991
1. Expand drug abuse treatment so that all who apply for treatment can be accepted into treatment programs. Continually work to improve the quality and effectiveness of drug abuse treatment.
2. Remove legal barriers to the purchase and possession of injection equipment. Such legal barriers do not reduce illicit drug injection. They do, however, limit the availability of new/clean
injection equipment and therefore encourage the sharing of injection equipment, and the
increase in HIV transmission.
3. The federal government must take the lead in developing and maintaining programs to prevent
HIV transmission related to licit and illicit drug use.
4. Research and epidemiologic studies on the relationships between licit and illicit drug use and
HIV transmission should be greatly expanded and funding should be increased, not reduced or
merely held constant.
5. All levels of government and the private sector need to mount a serious and sustained attack on
the social problems that promote licit and illicit drug use in American society.

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