Health-Based Solutions
The ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project works to reform our nation's punitive drug policies that have contributed to unprecedented levels of incarceration. A far more sensible way to deal with a public health problem like drug addiction is to provide treatment, which study after study has shown is more effective than incarceration.
Drug use is fundamentally a public health issue and must be dealt with as such. Drug policies must be evidence-based and incorporate prevention, treatment and public safety. Texas, for example, has implemented a number of reforms in recent years that prioritize drug treatment over incarceration, and its crime rate has dropped to its lowest rate since 1973 as a result.
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Your support helps the ACLU end punitive drug policies and defend a broad range of civil liberties.
Cases
Massachusetts v. Landry, ACLU Brief (2002 resource): Is it "a crime" for an enrollee in a Department of Public Health-approved needle exchange program in a particular city or town "to distribute or possess needles or syringes" in another city or town that has not granted approval to the participant's program?
Other Resources
Needle Exchange Programs Promote Public Safety (2006 resource): Fact Sheet on Needle Exchange Programs
Most Popular
Conference to Address Public Health and Safety Approaches to Drug Policy (2010 blog post)
House Vote on Syringe Exchange Programs a Victory for Public Health (2009 blog post): The House voted to remove the ban on providing federal funding for syringe exchange programs.
ACLU Applauds Governor for Signing Texas' First Needle Exchange (2007 press release): In June 2007, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas applauded Governor Rick Perry for signing a Medicaid reform bill authorizing the first legal needle exchange program in Texas. The new law brings Texas up to date with most other states in the nation by starting a safe, legal needle exchange pilot program in Bexar County this fall.
ACLU Wins Expanded Protections for Needle Exchange Participants (2006 press release): The ACLU welcomed a ruling by a federal court expanding protections to needle exchange program participants. The court expanded the scope of a previous order, which prohibited the Bridgeport (CT) Police Department from harassing or arresting individuals who possess needles, ruling that other forms of injection equipment are protected as well.
ACLU of Virginia Offers Legal Aid to Methadone Clinics Barred From Opening Under New Law (2005 press release): The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia announced in March 2005 that it will offer legal representation to methadone clinics prevented from opening because of a new state moratorium. The ACLU charges that the new law discriminates against recovering addicts who are denied the services offered by the clinics.
Massachusetts Supreme Court Ruling Supports Needle Exchange Programs (2002 press release): Citing compelling public health concerns, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that members of lawful needle exchange programs may possess needles obtained from the programs throughout the Commonwealth, even in cities or towns that have not allowed the programs themselves to locate there.
