El centro más grande para intercambio de jeringas en los EE.UU. ensaya distribución gratuita de pipas para consumir metanfetaminas en Seattle

La teoría que subyace al programa de distribución consiste en que la entrega de pipas para consumir metanfetaminas a usuarios de drogas podría encaminar a algunas personas a dejar de utilizar jeringas, que implican mucho más riesgos que fumar, especialmente si el consumidor comparte la jeringa con otra persona infectada con VIH o Hepatitis C. Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

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Occasional crystal meth smoker Richard Russell ambles up to a church storage garage in a Seattle alley and a recovering drug addict hands him two brand new meth pipes, no questions asked.

One of about two dozen methamphetamine users who received free bubble-ended pipes on a recent afternoon, Russell is a participant in a pioneering but illegal program launched in March that aims to indirectly curb infectious diseases.

The theory behind the handout program is that giving meth pipes to drug users may steer some away from needles, which are far riskier than smoking, especially if the user is sharing with another person infected with HIV or hepatitis C.

There is little scientific evidence to support that claim, but The People's Harm Reduction Alliance, a privately funded needle-swap group run by drug users, said it has distributed more than 1,000 pipes in Seattle in a matter of weeks and could expand to other cities in Washington state and Oregon.

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