Poll Shows Voters Agree with Romney on Hypodermic Needles
       A poll conducted by the State House News Service last week showed that an overwhelming majority of voters agreed with Gov. Mitt Romney’s rejection of any bill that would allow the sale of hypodermic needles over the counter. 
       Over 66 percent say that the needles should not be made available, saying that the bill would give validation to the use of illegal drugs and hamper law enforcement in their drug-fighting efforts.  The Democrat-controlled legislature has resurrected an attempt to enact “clean needle” programs statewide, claiming that a needle exchange program will help lower the spread of HIV.
       Opponents of such programs cite the fact that needle exchange programs have never definitively slowed the spread of HIV anywhere.  In Scotland, for example, which has distributed 3.5 million needles to 32,000 drug addicts, new HIV and hepatitis cases are up and drug related deaths have increased proportionally also.