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Needle Exchanges on Eastern Standard

Groups such as the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association support the idea of needle exchanges as ways of reducing the spread of diseases like hepatitis among drug users.   Such programs distribute clean needles to drug addicts in exchange for dirty needles and encourage addicts to enter treatment programs.

On this week’s show,  we'll discuss needle exchange programs in Kentucky.  We’re interested in your questions or comments before the show at wekueasternstandard@gmail.com.  Send a tweet @wekuest.  Poston Facebookor call 859-622-1657 and leave a message.

 

Guests:

Dr. Rice Leach, commissioner of health at the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. He has almost 50 years of medical experience, including time as Kentucky's Commissioner of Public Health and as the chief of staff to the U.S. Surgeon General. http://www.lexingtonhealthdepartment.org/

Kevin Napier, a business owner in Lexington, Ky, and founder of Kentuckians Against Heroin, and an advocate for diversity of political and social causes. http://www.endabuseky.com/

Here is the poem that Dr. Leach read from the show yesterday. The poem is from an anonymous young woman, written while in a Lexington detention center.

Goodbye Heroin

Heroin,

I’m writing this let to tell you goodbye.
I loved you oh so so much,
that you even made me cry.
I would do what I had to do just to get high.
I promised myself that I would
never ever tell you goodbye!
The feeling you gave me was quite a thrill,
And the first time I shot you,
we made that sweet deal.
When I used you once- you said you’d let me go,
But I used you twice –
And I gave you my soul!
From that moment I promised you, that we
would always be a whole, and
that I would never ever then
Let You Go
Even if I died doing you, you would follow me to
my grave,
Because you stuck with me down that Long,
Dark, Lonesome road we paved!
So one thing I know, is when I gave you my soul, I lost all feeling, and even my
sense of hope.
I didn’t care about anything, but keeping you
around because I knew I would
never have to feel down as I shot you.
You only made me feel well, other than that you caused
me nothing but HELL!
Now here I sit in this big ol’ cell with nothing
to do but sit here and DWELL!
Now I know that I can never again pick you up.
Because if I do, the next time
I will truly be stuck.
So this is why I have to tell you goodbye
And I never again wanna get
high
Because the next time I know
For sure I will die!!

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