Heroin - Are There Any Medical Reasons for Taking This Substance?

Are There Any Medical Reasons for Taking This Substance?

Heroin was once used as a painkiller, but today that work is done by other medications, from morphine to the synthetic opioidsA substance created in a laboratory to mimic the effects of naturally occurring opiates such as heroin and morphine. such as fentanyl. (An entry for fentanyl is available in this encyclopedia.) Some doctors have lobbied for use of heroin in terminally ill cancer patients, for whom addiction is not an issue. But as of mid-2005, the drug had not been approved for this use.

Heroin users who inject the drug run the risk of contracting hepatitis or HIV because they often share dirty needles. In an effort to combat the spread of these diseases, needle exchange programs were begun in cities such as Vancouver, British
Heroin users who inject the drug run the risk of contracting hepatitis or HIV because they often share dirty needles. In an effort to combat the spread of these diseases, needle exchange programs were begun in cities such as Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. © Annie Griffiths Belt/Corbis.

In 2005 the Canadian government joined several European nations (most notably the Netherlands) in a pilot program to give free heroin to heroin addicts. Public health officials in Canada expressed the hope that those receiving free heroin would be able to live crime-free lives; would no longer be forced to share dirty needles; and would be more open to beginning the process of detoxificationOften abbreviated as detox; a difficult process by which substance abusers stop taking those substances and rid their bodies of the toxins that accumulated during the time they consumed such substances.. The Canadian program works with the most dedicated addicts—people who have tried and failed at least twice to quit using the drug.

Those who support the plan say that, at the very least, giving addicts free heroin will reduce crime. They believe that such addicts will no longer need to steal or become prostitutes to earn enough for a fixA slang term referring to a dose of a drug that the user highly craves or desires.. Those who oppose the plan—including officials in the U.S. government—say that the program encourages drug abuse. A reporter in The Economist wrote: "The hope is that if hard-core addicts no longer have to commit crimes to fund their habits they are more likely to become productive citizens and leave drugs behind."

The "free heroin" plans in Canada and parts of Europe are not necessarily just for the addicts, but also for the non-abusing public at large. Canadian officials hope to reduce crime and the costs of fighting it, as well as the spread of infectious diseases like AIDS and hepatitis.