Effects of Amsterdam needle and syringe exchange.

The needle and syringe exchange in Amsterdam was initiated in 1984 by the Junky Union. To date, ample data are available to support the role of the needle exchange in facilitating drug injectors to use drugs in a safer way: no increase in drug use could be validated, participants of the exchange schemes were less involved in needle sharing, the supply of large quantities of needles to drug users did not lead to an increase in needle stick accidents by the general public, and, finally, the HIV prevalence among drug injectors has remained stable since 1986, while the incidence of acute hepatitis B has gone down.