Third party candidates in this presidential election often mention the drug war as the example of failed policy agreed on by the two main parties. The legalization of marijuana is one of the main changes advocated for by these candidates . However, nobody addresses the link between HIV and the drug war.
1/3 of all Aids cases in the US have been caused by syringe sharing. Syringe access programs have reduced the HIV incidence among users by 80%. However, the Congress have had a long standing ban of the use of federal funding to support these programs. Today 17 states still have no legal syringe access programs.
The following infographic, created by the Drug Policy Alliance, illustrate how the drug war is detrimental to the fight against the HIV epidemic in the US. Credit: http://www.drugpolicy.org/
