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T H E F O L LO W I N G D I AG R A M D E TA I L S
THE ARG U ME NT S IN T E R NAT I O NAL F U R TH E R R E P O R TE D IMP R OV E ME NT S
A N D R E S U LTS
AG A I NST P R O G R AM S F R O M INTE R N ATI O N A L H E R O IN
MA I N T E NA N C E T H E R A P Y T R I A L S :
Simplistically, opponents to heroin Not withstanding the considerable
maintenance therapy argue: efforts put into opiate replacement
• E F F O R T S A N D R E S O U R C E S S H O U L D therapies including methadone, there
B E P U T I N T O “ C U R I N G A D D I C T S ”, are increasing numbers of long term
IMP R OVIN G E D UC AT I O N P R OG R AM S dependent users in Australia. The
T O D IS C O UR A G E UP TA K E OF DR U G heroin maintenance programs
U S E , I N C R E A S I N G T H E N U M B E R O F operating in overseas countries are a
D R U G R E HAB IL I TAT I O N P R OG R AM S , supplement to methadone programs
AND S T R E N G T HE NIN G L AW E NF O R C E - and do not seek to replace existing
ME N T AND C U S T O M S AC T IVI T IE S ; AND
pharmacotherapy programs. As with
• T H AT T O P R OV I D E A N D T H E R E BY methadone maintenance programs,
C O NDO NE T HE S U P P LY O F HE R O IN heroin therapy is considered a long-
W O UL D E N C O UR A G E MOR E P E OP L E term maintenance program and, if
T O U S E T H E D R U G , A S I T W O U L D B E withdrawn, benefits for the
C HE AP E R , M O R E R E ADILY participants and society as a whole THE B E NE FITS
AVA I L A B L E , A N D T H E R I S K S ( H E A LT H , disappear (Wodak).
S O C I A L A N D L E G A L ) F E W E R .
Since the 1990’s, 6 countries including ACC E S S TO H ER O I N I N
Switzerland, The Netherlands, CO NT R O LLE D C LI N I C A L
Germany, Canada, Spain and the UK- S E T T I N G S
“ W I T H O U T S U C H A [H E R O I N have carried out randomised
MAIN T E NAN C E ] T R IAL … controlled trials of heroin assisted R ED U C T I O N I N H ER O I N
I T S E F F I C AC Y O R OT H E RW I S E W I L L treatment. In each of the 6 trials, R EL AT ED H A R M S
N E V E R B E K N OW N . heroin treatment was designed for (EG OV ER D O S E & V I R U S
U NTI L AT TE M P TE D, IT I S V E RY and provided to the 5% of heroin users T R A N S M IS S I O N)
DIF F I C U LT TO M OVE FO RWAR D who were older and severely
O R TO C O N S ID E R ALT E R NAT IVE dependent, who had previously tried
S TR ATE G I E S .” multiple other treatments, often SU BS TA NT I A L R E D U C T I O N I N
Justice Wood, Royal Commission into the multiple times, and after many years of U S E O F S T R EE T H ER O I N
NSW Police Service, 1997 treatment, rehabilitation and
prison, little benefit had been achieved
(Wodak). N O E V I D EN C E O F H ER O I N
Reuter notes the “patient population LE A K I N G F R O M FAC I LI T I E S
[in Switzerland] is aging and, mostly, O N TO BL AC K MARK E T
AU S TR A LI A N P R O H I B ITI O N very troubled. They have long-stand-
ing problems in all aspects of their
P O LI C IE S HAVE FA ILE D. personal lives and little prospect of H I G H E R T R E AT M E NT
being able to improve their conditions”. R E T E NT I O N R AT E
There continues to be an increase in:
•drug availability;
•the number of Australians who use Each of the international trials have T R E AT M EN T N OT L ED TO
drugs; and had consistently impressive results I N C R E A S E I N P ER S O N S
•the number of Australians with participants allocated heroin E X P E R I M E NT I N G WI T H
dependent on drugs. treatment doing much better than HE R O I N
those allocated to the control group,
The ‘war on drugs’ has failed, and the who are provided with high
argument prevails that instead we have quality methadone. The trials highlight R ED U C ED N EED TO S EL L TO
a ‘war on drug users’ with: that the participants provided with OT H ER U S ER S TO S U P P O R T
•many Australians experiencing heroin demonstrate substantial OWN H A B I T
discrimination in employment, improvements in “physical and mental
housing and health care due to past or health, substantially reduced illicit drug
current drug use; use, improved social functioning and SU BS TA NT I A L R E D U C T I O N
•family members of drug users substantially reduced crime” (Wodak). A N D/OR C E S S AT I ON OF
feeling shunned; (P R O P ER T Y ) C R I M E
•people who use drugs being denied
access to appropriate clinical care.
I M P R OV EM EN T S I N H E A LT H
AN D S O C IAL F U NC T I O N I NG

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