NCJ Number
162978
Journal
Criminology Australia Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1995) Pages: 3-6
Date Published
1995
Length
4 pages
Annotation
An Australian legislator has proposed that a trial be conducted to test the legal supply of heroin to registered drug addicts, in response to the general problem of drugs in society and as an attempt to rectify deficiencies in current drug treatment programs.
Abstract
The legislator believes that drug use needs to be treated as a health issue and that the law enforcement response does not effectively reduce the demand for drugs and associated profits. The Australian National University's National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health and the Australian Institute of Criminology have developed a plan to conduct a trial test of legalized heroin, considering such issues as how to ensure legalized heroin does not become a black market of its own, the number of times people should inject, and heroin sources and costs. The plan recommends that two pilots of prescribed heroin be conducted in the Australian Capital Territory. If pilots are successful, a 2-year trial is recommended in which the treatment group will have the choice of methadone, heroin, or both, and the comparison group will receive methadone only. Criticisms of conducting a trial test of legalized heroin are noted, along with differences among health and treatment issues on the one hand and criminological issues on the other. Political, philosophical, and moral influences on efforts to legalize heroin are also examined.