ADDICTS PAID TO SHOOT UP IN HEROIN CURE STUDY

NEW YORK - Researchers at Columbia University are offering free heroin to
addicts and paying them to use it under a federally authorized program aimed
at finding a cure for their drug habits.

Two trials involving heroin injections are among six related drug-addiction
studies being conducted at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons,
all of which focus on the role existing medications can play in defeating
drug addictions.

Since September, 14 addicts have received regular doses of pure heroin after
being given naltrexone (pronounced nal-TREX-own), buprenorphine
(boo-pruh-NOR-fin) or methadone, which are medications found to be effective
in neutralizing heroin's high.

The researchers want to learn whether stronger doses of these medications
are needed and can be prescribed without risk, particularly in light of the
increasingly pure heroin being sold on the streets.

"A dose that was probably good enough 15 years ago may not be good enough
for heroin now," said Dr. Herbert Kleber, a professor of psychiatry at
Columbia, who directs the medical college's division on substance abuse and
is medical director of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
at Columbia.

Heroin and cocaine have been tested on mice and other laboratory animals.
But Columbia's study is the only one in the country testing addicts with
heroin, although researchers at Harvard have done so and researchers at
Johns Hopkins plan to.

Dr. Marian Fischman, a psychologist at Columbia who studies medications for
drug abusers, said the volunteers, who agree to stay in the hospital for six
or seven weeks, had rejected offers to treat their heroin habit. "We would
not give a drug of abuse to someone who was seeking treatment," she said.

The heroin addicts are recruited for the studies through newspaper
advertisements as well as word of mouth. Strict standards for acceptance
exclude anyone who is dependent on other drugs, was convicted of a violent
crime, is on probation or parole, or has medical or psychological problems
making them unsuitable participants. And because of the hospital time
involved, the addicts would not be able to hold a job during the test.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is financing all six studies
with $708,000 in grants this year, has issued the program a certificate of
confidentiality so that the names of participants cannot be subpoenaed by
prosecutors or police.