Joe Loconte

Needle-exchange programs have not been proven to reduce the spread of the AIDS virus, Joe Loconte maintains in the following viewpoint. Loconte argues that studies purporting to show the effectiveness of these programs—in which intravenous drug users are given clean needles so that they do not share contaminated needles with other addicts—are flawed and cannot be considered truly scientific. According to Loconte, advocates of needle-exchange programs ignore the moral and behavioral aspects of drug addiction and neglect more effective ways of conquering drug abuse, such as treatment programs. Loconte is a writer and researcher for the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Religion in a Civil Society.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What does Loconte label a “profoundly misguided notion”?
2. According to...