heroin on perscription - would it work

[Ivykaty44]

Here is a link to the times about heroin

To be honest I think it would work, it used to be available on perscritption and getting a pure does is far far safer, it could stop a lot of rime to actually buy the drug therefore being cheaper. It would also save lives as the pure stuff isn't dangerous in the way street heroin is full of dangerous substance oto make it go further and add more profit.

wouldn't (some) people sell it on though, diluted, etc., adding to the black market?

Would people sell it on? I presume only addicts would get it and only enough for themselves. I doubt they'd be willing to part with it for any money.

Presumably it would be given in very small amounts as it would be pure. It's not like methadone which addicts sell because they don't much like it.

I don't know tbh. I suspect it would have worked if they'd never got rid of heroin on prescription in the first place. But with the explosion of addiction and the huge amount of money to be made from this misery - I can't see them giving that up without a fight.

My downstairs neighbour is an addict. He goes through rehab from time to time, is fine for a while and then relapses. I've no idea how he funds his habit (other than raking through bins for things to sell) but it's bound to be illegal.

He would probably hold down a job if he was on a prescription maintenance dose. He's a good neighbour and a decent guy for all that he's completely screwed up his life.

I wrote my dissertation on this a couple of years ago. One problem I encountered was that with heroin a tolerance develops meaning you need more of the drug as time goes on to get the same effect. These programs aim to maintain and then decrease doses and wean users off, this would be ok as long as the user is ready to get clean, if their not then that means it's is likely that they will begin topping up their prescription heroin with street heroin again meaning they are likely to still commit crime. Another issue is that it only caters for users who inject, there is no option available for those who smoke it, this may mean that those who currently smoke heroin would begin the risky practice of injecting so that they too can get free heroin.

I think it's a better way forward (or backward) than the current system. Give people what they need to be safe and function, then try and help them address their use, if they can. At least they and society are safer. Good point about smoking though, but is there really any reason why that couldn't be catered for?

It certainly needs a much deeper think

I used to be very pro-ban but altely ahve come to think otherwise; someone I know who works in Ethics tells me that there are long term research studies showing that addicts can hold down jobs etc if not having to fund addiction, and something has to be done about the poor sods trapped in prostitution etc trying to fund a habit

it may not be a perfect solution but would it be any worse than the present one?

Criminalisation of heroin by the state murders many young people, all over the world. It is disgusting. Have a look on the drugs forum Bluelight and their RIP thread, picture after picture of young people who die as they can't measure their dosage correctly.

Heroin should be prescribed, it will stop thousands of deaths from mis-dosing and keep people away from funding addictions through crime.

It's a no brainer.

Sadly though, especially when the UK government works with some of the world's biggest heroin barons - and massacres prisoners alongside them - we are a long way away from that. Rachid Dostum? Hamid Karzai? www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jul2009/nyag-j13.shtml