The hearing consisted of statements from expert witnesses regarding the benefits and disadvantages of the programs in efforts to curb the spread of HIV and IV-drug use. Speakers included George Clark, the coordinator of Prevention Point, a San Francisco street-based needle exchange program; Dr. Michael Smith, chairperson of the Chemical Dependency Committee for the California Medical Association (CMA) and Mark Madsen, Physician Education Department Manager of CMA; Dr. David Werdegar, Director of Public Health Department, City and County of San Francisco; and Dr. Patricia Evans, Associate Medical Director for the AIDS office. Dr. Neill Flynn, Medical Director with the University of California Davis Medical Treatment Center for AIDS also participated in the hearing. Jay Cavanaugh from the California State Board of Pharmacy and Glean Uyokohama; Gil Gerald, Executive Director of the Minority AIDS Project; Sherry Conroy of the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs; Dr. Horowitz; Dr. Bruce Mitchell, Commanding Officer of the Narcotics Division in the LA Police Department; Commander Larry L. Anderson, Chairman of the LA County Sheriff's Task Force; and John Brown from LA County street AIDS outreach programs provided their respective views on legislative policy regarding the needle exchange program.