War on drugs making HIV epidemic worse, group says

[maddezmom]

The war on drugs is a failure that is fuelling the global HIV/AIDS epidemic by driving people away from treatment, an international group says.

In a report formally released Tuesday, the Global Commission on Drug Policy — which includes six former presidents, British business magnate Richard Branson and former Supreme Court of Canada Justice and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour — condemns tough enforcement policies that focus on criminalization and punishment over prevention and public health programs.

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Wood said there are particularly high rates of HIV/AIDS in certain populations, such as aboriginal and incarcerated prisoner groups. HIV infection rates are an estimated seven to 10 times higher among federal inmates than the general public, with the highest rate among aboriginal women, at 11.7 per cent.

And while there is a public health interest in reversing this trend, Wood said there is also a financial benefit: it costs an estimated $500,000 in life-time costs for each case of HIV infection.

But the Conservative government insists its policies are in the best interests of Canadians.

more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/06/26/drug-war-hiv-aids-policy.html

[xchrom]

1. Governance - Good Governance - doesn't fly in the face of evidence.

Good Governance is built on science and evidence and people who know how to use that info.