Needle Work

(Fox News) - The city of San Francisco spent $800,000 last year to hand out some two million syringes to drug users — as part of a needle-exchange plan aimed at discouraging people from sharing needles — and increasing their risk of AIDS and other diseases.

But the "exchange" part of the program isn't working out quite as planned. The San Francisco Chronicle reports Parks Department workers are finding up to 200 used needles per day discarded in Golden Gate Park. And one administrator says the city is getting back only about 70 percent of the used needles.

Democratic Mayor Gavin Newsom says this is a legitimate concern — and says the city needs to shift some of its focus from needle distribution to collection.