by Stephen Chapman

About the author: Stephen Chapman is a syndicated columnist on the staff of the Chicago Tribune.

The AIDS epidemic has unleashed a slew of efforts to stop transmission of the virus—from distributing condoms to teenagers to tightly screening blood transfusions. But, for years, one of the most effective and inexpensive weapons has languished on the shelf: needle exchange. In December 1996, the Clinton administration recommended additional money for AIDS research, but barely mentioned needle exchange. The neglect comes at a price: though the virus has abated among gay men, it has proliferated among intravenous drug users, their sexual partners and their children. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), this group now accounts for a full third of new HIV infections—up from just 12 percent in 1981. The news...