Key Moment to Push Lifting the Syringe Funding Ban

It was no surprise that President Obama retained the language that
prohibits spending federal funds on syringe exchange programs in the
President's Fiscal Year 2010 Budget. We had been receiving that
message since the inauguration.

Fortunately, Obama's disappointing inaction is not the major loss it
might appear. The main mechanism for removing the ban is Congress, and
currently the US House of Representatives. The timing for removal of
the ban in the 2010 budget is NOW, as the Labor, Health and Education
Appropriations bill, in which the ban lies, will be put together in
the next couple of weeks. We have shown the support for its removal by
getting co-sponsors onto HR 179, the Community AIDS & Hepatitis Act,
and getting promises on votes from those who have not signed on but
would support removing the ban in the Appropriations process. Obama
says he supports lifting the ban, but has punted it back to Congress.
Our response now is critical.

Truth is, we know there is no real organized opposition to syringe
exchange, we won the debate long ago, and besides being the right
thing to do, the political risk is vastly overstated. For Congress to
believe us, they need to hear from more of their constituents.

First, if your Representative has not cosponsored HR 179, send them a
letter asking them to today.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1627/t/100/campaign.jsp?campaign_KE...

(To see list of cosponsors, go to
http://www.harmreduction.org/article.php?id=904)

Second, call Rep. David Obey (WI) 202-225-3365, Chair of the
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and
Related Agencies, and ask him to take leadership to remove the ban in
the 2010 Appropriations.