In July of 1992 and as part of the """"""""ADAMHA Reorganization Act,"""""""" Congress called for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, to request the National Academy of Sciences to enter into a contract to evaluate the impact of syringe exchange and bleach distribution programs on drug use and the incidence of AIDS and other diseases. The specific language used by Congress is """"""""a study or studies to make determinations of the following,"""""""" which also comprise the objectives of this project: l. The extent to which the programs promote, directly or indirectly, the abuse of drugs through providing information or devices (or both) regarding in which the adverse health consequences of such abuse can minimized. 2. In the case of individuals participating in programs, the number of individuals who have engaged in the abuse of drugs prior to admission to the programs and the number of individuals who have not engaged in such abuse prior to such admission. 3. The extent to which participation in the programs has altered any behaviors constituting a substantial risk of contracting acquired immune deficiency syndrome or hepatitis, or of transmitting either of the diseases. 4. The number of programs that provide referrals for the treatment of such abuse and the number of programs that do not provide such referrals. 5. The extent to which programs safely dispose of used hypodermic syringes and needles.
