"We cannot in good conscience say that we should make needles more available to heroin addicts," Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey said at a press conference. "It sends the wrong message, and it facilitates our very deadly plague of heroin abuse."

The Romney administration is right on the money. It should be the goal of our elected officials to end drug use among the public, not condone it by making it easier for users to get clean needles.

We acknowledge, as proponents argue, that clean needles may help addicts avoid dangerous diseases. But we also must stress that drug abusers, and nobody else, have placed themselves at risk. And, they are breaking the law by using illegal drugs.

There may be a role for government to play in helping willing addicts kick the habit, such as by providing more beds in drug rehabilitation centers. But there quite frankly is no justification for helping users prolong their addiction in the same of public health.

We have seen and felt the effects of providing addicts with clean needles here in North Central Massachusetts, and it hasn't been pretty.

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