The liberalisation of drug laws in Zurich (Switzerland) has led to a massie fall in the number of new heroin users. Now Britain, which has the highest number of drug deaths in Europe, is being urged to follow the example.
Drugs charities called yesterday for Britain to abandon its tough approach to heroin use after research showed one European city had cut the number of new addicts by transforming the image of heroin into a "loser drug".
The UK should follow the example of Zurich, which adopted a liberal drug policy a decade ago, and has seen an 82 per cent decline in new users of heroin.
The change has been achieved by offering drug addicts in Switzerland "substitution" treatment with injectable heroin on prescription, as well as oral methadone, needle exchange and "shooting galleries" where they can give themselves their fix.
The new approach has medicalised drug use and removed its "glamour". Crime and deaths linked with drugs have fallen, and the image of heroin use has been transformed from one of rebellion to an illness.
Finally, heroin seems to have become a loser drug, with its attractiveness fading. Britain will probably follow Switzerland’s example. Shouldn’t the US do the same?
Hmm, thats interesting.
It has been proven to be effective. I can't wait until more studies are done in these communities to show their true affects.
Well well... if this is the solution that brings the best results then I totally agree. I was skeptical about drug liberalization but in the end is the results that matter the most so I won't argue anything about this. Britain should seriously consider this. Will we see empty rehab centers in the future? As much as we work on defeating the drug problem I don't think this will ever happen.
Make it really strong pure heroin and make sure the users are allowed to have as much as they want whenever they want for free.
This policy will have a number of benefits. The users will not need to commit crimes to support their habits and that will mean that the impacts of the drug use will be limited to the users without creating a lot of innocent secondary victims. The users will accelerate the rate at which they commit suicide by heroin and this will save taxpayers the cost of supporting them on various social welfare programs for an extended period. Heroin is a very cheap drug to manufacture so the cost to taxpayers of providing an unlimited supply will be minimal. Finally, the quick degradation of health followed by the rapid and untimely deaths of these losers will enhance the image of heroin as a "loser" drug.