New UK Heroin Clinic Trials: A Step in The Right Direction?

A new report published this week following a series of trials carried out in thee cities worst affected by heroin since 2005 has shown some intriguing results. Seriously addicted patients were asked to visit the clinic twice a week where they were given a dose of the drug or the substitute methadone to inject under supervision in a controlled and safe environment. Although some have questioned the decision to supply addicts with the drug and have shown concern over the immediate costs (the trial costs a staggering £15,000 per year to run) the results have proved promising. Over the 127 patients involved in the test, the report shows that three quarters seriously reduced their use of street heroin, reducing their spending from £300 a week to £50 or less, while drug-related crime in the cities dropped from 1,731 in a month to just over 300 in an entire six months. 20% of the patients gave up the use of street heroin altogether.

Thankfully ministers have seen the validity of the report and have called for further trials in more cities around the country. Though the start-up costs will remain high, the long term savings due to the reduction in crime, reducing the need for expensive court cases, prison sentences and rehabilitation programs will more than make up for these, while the reduction in the use of street heroin is particularly significant since street dealers are often supplied and funded by some of the country’s largest and most dangerous organised crime syndicates and even terrorist groups. Added to that, the health benefits for users injecting properly regulated doses in sterile environments will surely save the NHS money, yet another sector to benefit from the outcome of the trials.

But of course there are downsides. The heavy yearly costs may be balanced by the results but in the recession the government seems unwilling to put money into new projects while old ones are suffering, and the fact that the £15,000 needed will be supplied largely by the Department of Health while the benefits of the program will be felt in other sectors causes problems for the budgeters. Though some have complained at the idea of giving users heroin “on the NHS” and thus making the dangerous drug more readily available, the program targets only the heaviest users, people who have tried a number of different methods to free themselves from their addiction over the years, leaving more casual users to turn to less expensive methods.

It’s costly but I think these trials are truly a step in the right direction, not just in the UK but worldwide. Better regulation on hard drugs ensures safer conditions for those already addicted, cuts crime and steers money out of the hands of professional criminals, while prohibition only deepens these problems and feeds into organised crime, as history shows us: just compare the crime rates during the American prohibition of alcohol with those once such legislation was lifted. While few would suggest that hard drugs should be made readily available to just anyone, well-regulated supplies for those already addicted, as used in the trials, can only solve problems. Surely it’s time for governments to take a more proactive and less damaging stance on drugs?