Clinic in Vancouver Gives Free Heroin (from ATSNN)

More than 300 Heroin addicts will receive free drugs in an effort to bring down drug related crime. The will receive this heroin for 12 months and will stay under supervision of the clinic. Doctors also hope this will also reduce the amount of HIV infections.



Personally I think this a great idea. How many people are affected by heroin addicts trying to get cash for their next fix? I remember here in Calgary a girl working in a subway was murdered at night for the cash in her register. The same man held up another person at a ATM because he didn't get enough money from Subway.
This will also help put the drug dealers out of business. How can you sell something if the addicts are getting it for free?

One downside I can think of is that addicts from all over the country will try to get to Vancouver for the free drugs. Not everyone will be accepted into this program and in turn the streets will have that many more addicts in the street.

Related News Links:
www.canada.com
www.cfra.com
health.news.designerz.com
www.theglobeandmail.com

herion addiction can be better treated with methodone, which is a chemical that is ingested orally, that produces the same effect as heroin, exept that it lasts longer(24 hours), allowing adicts to try to find positive use for his time, such as employment

This is all part of the City of Vancouver's Four Pillars Drug Strategy.

Funny thing about having the Chief Coroner elected Mayor, he actually wants to help the downtown Eastside addicts, instead of just keeping them out of the rich areas.

What we have been doing until now sure isn't working, so I'm willing to give it a chance.

Go Larry!!!

I hope government smack is better than government weed. (prescribed medicinal schwag) Before our American friends start weighing in with their "lock em up" philosophy, remember that this is a STUDY not a program.

reply to post by Ashlar


Actually, treating heroin addiction with methadone is a lie and a joke at best. You are not treating anything with methadone, you're simply substituting one substance with another substance which is even more addictive and harmful abiet a legal one (thanks to idiot policy makers). At least heroin is natural with origins from the poppy plant where as methadone is 100% chemical. Over time it will get in your bones, kill your body and mind and reduce you to a semi vegatative state. Methadone is a long acting synthetic opiod which means that when ingested, you become a zombie for the whole day and can't function unlike heroin which only last about an hour. The euphoric and happy feeling that you get with heroin is also absent with methadone which is the reason why methadone patients still use heroin and won't stop. Both drugs stop the withdrawal pains, but in the long run, methadone is worst and many long term user realize this. With methadone, you also have to put up with the bs from the clinic and arrogant doctors who knows jack # about addiction. There's only one true cure for heroin...legalize it!

reply to post by Ashlar



You are quite wrong; methadone is used for maintenance of an addiction, and cannot cure anything or help an addict to quit. It is highly addictive and the only benefit is that it does not give a ' high ' and is cheap. If heroin was given cheaply or freely to the small number of hard core addicts that cannot ever quit, we would see related crime fall off greatly.

As a chronic pain patient I take methadone and Oxycontin daily to be able to get around and live and I never get any ' feeling ' from than at all. methadone is great for keeping people away from the illegal heroin, but it fails almost always and the addicts relapse to heroin: Why? Because they have a personality type that seeks oblivion. Like an alky or pill freak that nods off as often as possible, some people are wired to make themselves sleep and ignore life.

This cannot be changed, just managed and dealt with, and using the law is a total failure. Medical and psychological assistance is the ONLY thing that will help.Switzerland and Englad and the Netherlands are all doing this as it has been proven effective. The USA of course pressures all the intelligent nations not to do this as it upsets the drug war applecart and embarrasses the US propagandists at every turn. The far right wing insane government we have is totally corrupt and dishonest and the truth and science mean squat...they make vast fortunes keeping things as they are.

Some day...maybe..common sense and truth will be heard louder then the shrill lies of the cartel in power that keeps drugs illegal for their own profits.