Politicians, activists, scientists, and at least
one Rocket Man are flocking to D.C. this week for the 19th
International AIDS Conference. The biannual conference, hosted in
the US for the first time in 22 years, will surely bring about
countless speeches, tons of scienctific reports, and one giant blanket. But if the
summit is to be successful, leaders must realize that winning the
battle against AIDS can’t happen until we end the War on Drugs.

The World Health Organization estimates that over 33
million people worldwide are living with HIV. And according to
the Global
Commission on Drug Policy, while we’ve seen dropping numbers of
fatal cases since the first case was reported over 30 years ago,
several countries have seen “devastating consequences” as a result
of certain draconian policies. 

Outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, injection drug use is responsible
for a
third of all new infections. The statistics are particularly
terrible in countries boasting harsh anti-drug laws. In
Russia, for instance, the majority of state funding goes
towards law enforcement, rather than treatment programs. As a
result, we see handcuff happy cops focusing on filling up arrest
quotas instead of putting injecting drug users in rehab. Fear of
arrest keeps addicts away from HIV testing and prevention services,
perpetuating spread of the virus. And the story isn’t that much
different back here in the US.

“It is so clear now that there is a relation between repressive
drug policies and the spread of HIV/AIDS,” said
former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria. He’s right. Fear of
punishment steers abusers away from the help they need. Restriction
on sterile syringe programs leads to increased needle sharing.
Funds are thrown away on ineffective drug enforcement policies
rather than treatment methods that actually work.

Forcing addicts into hiding won’t stop AIDS. Neither will
pushing laws that continue to view addiction as a crime. For the
nineteenth time, leaders from across the globe will come together
at the International AIDS Conference, hoping to find a solution
that sticks. Well, here’s one that just might work: Want to end
AIDS? Then you better end the War on Drugs.