Heroin to Be Prescribed to Canadian Addicts by Doctors

[Clubhouse]

Following a court battle, doctors at a medical facility in Vancouver will be able to prescribe the drug to patients who have not responded to other treatments

Doctors in Canada will become the first medics in North America to prescribe heroin to addicts next week.

Staff at the Vancouver-based Providence Crosstown Clinic have received a shipment of medical grade heroin and will begin prescribing the drug over the coming days.

Health Canada has authorised 120 people to receive the prescriptions, 26 of whom were participants in a previous trial which worked with individuals who had not responded to more conventional treatments.

Following the trial doctors wanted to continue to prescribe heroin to patients in their care, but were unable to after Rona Ambrose, the federal health minister, introduced regulations banning heroin prescriptions outside of clinical trials in October 2013.

Medics went to the supreme court of British Columbia and successfully petitioned it to grant an injunction against the ban.

David Byres, vice-president of Acute Clinical Programs at Providence Health Care, told the Globe and Mail: "The patients are so desperate for treatment, so desperate to be able to no longer be addicted.

"It’s a great thing to be able to help them, and help with the addiction that has taken over their entire lives."

Patients who are prescribed the drug must attend the clinic at least three times a day, at set times, and let nurses monitor them for adverse effects.

Since banning the use of prescription heroin, outside of trials, in October last year around 30 people have left doctors’ care at the Providence Clinic and some are believed to have relapsed and are now taking illegal heroin.

The federal Conservative government has maintained that it is opposed to doctors prescribing heroin to drug users.

In the UK prescription heroin is already legal and has been widely used across the country for a number of years as a treatment for heroin addicts.

Other European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, also allow heroin based treatments for those who do not respond to more traditional therapies.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sc...s-9878322.html

[Kanda444]

fantastic! real help for addicts is always a great thing! 'once an addict, always an addict' isnt the case and people can get through this shit with a bit of help and some dedication on their part. i love that they are helping others!

[thckoitin]

This is ok. They already prescripted methadon and subutex for same reason. What's the difference?

[Pyramid_Head]

I guess if it helps them get over their addiction.

[Oswald2001]

I doubt that heroin can do anything that other drugs can't.

[TheVrist]

All for it, as long as there are laws around their intoxication imposing on the public, can't see any issues.


If people want to sit at home drooling, and shitting on themselves, more power to them.

[30564U]

Ok...I'm confused here. First off, I didn't know that Beyer still made real brand name Heroin anymore...that's interesting in and of itself. Second, what's with the whole "clinical trials" stuff? Pretty much everyone knows what Heroin does. Are they using it as a natural substitute for traditional Methadone treatment? Third, is this like what the do in the UK where they register and supply Heroin addicts with government issued Heroin? I don't understand this. Sounds stupid...what's next Laudanum therapy? Everything old is new again...next well see the reintroduction of Chinese opium dens as treatment centers. Maybe I'm missing something, but this sounds kinda goofy.

[commondenom]

about time the world fucking woke up to this.....chucking addicts or users in prison is insane..a huge waste of time and money

[Agapeti]

Originally Posted by 30564U

Ok...I'm confused here. First off, I didn't know that Beyer still made real brand name Heroin anymore...that's interesting in and of itself. Second, what's with the whole "clinical trials" stuff? Pretty much everyone knows what Heroin does. Are they using it as a natural substitute for traditional Methadone treatment? Third, is this like what the do in the UK where they register and supply Heroin addicts with government issued Heroin? I don't understand this. Sounds stupid...what's next Laudanum therapy? Everything old is new again...next well see the reintroduction of Chinese opium dens as treatment centers. Maybe I'm missing something, but this sounds kinda goofy.

Well if you think logically about it, it is going to be given to people that 'traditional therapy' didn't work. Not only will it lower the crime rate because they won't be robbing/burglarizing people for money to buy it on their own, but it will also make it safer - considering needles and HIV. Another thing it will do is decrease deaths from overdoses. So to me, it makes sense.

[CrunchyCripple]

It doesn't have much to say on weaning off or success rates. Is there a program to get them completely off, or is it just another way to get money from the addicts, using a better tasting candy?

Don't mind my suspicion.