[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 156 (Wednesday, December 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNITION OF NIDA'S PSA CAMPAIGN CONNECTING DRUG ABUSE WITH RISK OF 
                                HIV/AIDS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 7, 2005

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on this our first day in session 
following World AIDS day, I rise to recognize a public awareness 
campaign released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that brings 
critical attention to the dangerous link between drug abuse and HIV/
AIDS.
  This campaign seeks to inform our youth how drug abuse can impair 
judgment and cause risky sexual behaviors that increase the danger of 
contracting or transmitting HIV.
  The connection between drug abuse and HIV/AIDS isn't limited to the 
risks of injecting drugs and being infected by contaminated needles. It 
is much bigger than that. Drug or alcohol intoxication changes 
behavior--inhibitions disappear and the ability to make good decisions 
is impaired.
  Only 1 in 50 high school students report having ever injected an 
illegal drug. However, young Americans use alcohol and other drugs at 
high rates. According to NIDA, between 2000 and 2003 about 10 young 
people (age 13-24) were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS each day.
  Today an estimated 1 million people in the United States are living 
with HIV/AIDS, and, approximately 4 out of 10 U.S. AIDS deaths are 
related to drug abuse.
  My advisory committees on AIDS/HIV and Drugs and Substance Abuse 
confirm the toll that this dual epidemic has taken. Drug abuse and HIV/
AIDS affect our children, our families, and our communities not only in 
the 7th District of Illinois but also across this nation.
  I commend NIDA's efforts in advancing research and public awareness 
to better understand the pivotal role drug abuse (in all its forms) can 
play in the spread of HIV/AIDS.
  We need to continue to educate our constituents about the risks of 
drug abuse and HIV infection. We need to provide adequate and 
accessible treatment for those with drug problems and HIV/AIDS. We need 
to support what NIDA has established that drug abuse treatment is HIV 
prevention. Because by limiting and protecting against the risky 
behaviors associated with drug abuse, we can decrease the likelihood of 
spreading or contracting HIV/AIDS.

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