News (Media Awareness Project) - Switzerland: Deny Hard Core Addicts Their Last Chance? |
| Title: | Switzerland: Deny Hard Core Addicts Their Last Chance? |
| Published On: | 1999-05-25 |
| Source: | Survey of German Language Newspapers for 19 May 99 |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-06 05:38:12 |
DENY HARD CORE ADDICTS THEIR LAST CHANCE?
Thomas Mueller writes in the 'Basler Zeitung' ( http://www.baz.ch ) under
the headline: Deny Hard Core Addicts Their Last Chance?
Some 860 drug addicts currently receive heroin from the state to facilitate
their re-entry into an ordered lifestyle and departure one day from a life
of addiction. A referendum conducted under the leadership of the EDU
evangelical party, Federal Democratic Union, is aimed at overturning the
decision to continue the trial and is using false arguments in its struggle
to do so.
Basle. The heroin trial aims at helping those addicts who are not to be
helped by any other means. What is at issue here is a very narrowly focused
offer of therapy to those addicts who a. have been dependent for at least
two years; have tried and withdrawn from other forms of therapy at least
twice, and who are 18 years of age or older and are now, because of their
drug consumption, suffering physically, psychologically or spiritually, or
have fallen from their position on the social ladder. It is but one of many
forms of therapy and is not intended for mass consumption. The heroin is
given out in specialized centers and must be consumed on the premises.
The heroin-based treatment is a reaction to the dramatically miserable
condition of many drug addicts at the end of the 80s. At that time the open
drug scenes in Zurich, Basle and Berne were the focus of drug policy
debate. It was impossible to overlook the suffering of many of the addicts.
Drug related crime rose sharply in the cities concerned. The heroin
distribution is supported by a majority of the political parties and the
governing council as part of the Four Pillars Policy: Prevention,
Therapy, Harm Reduction and Law Enforcement.
Medically supervised distribution of heroin aims at improving the health of
the addicts, freeing them from the stress of having to provide their drugs
through crime on the street. In the long term, the improvement of their
quality of life will facilitate their climb out of a life of addiction.
(We continue with a slightly abbreviated summary of the main points of the
rest of the article. pd)
At the end of the three year trial the balance sheet was drawn up by the
Institute for Addiction Research and the Institute for Social and
Preventive Medicine. It proved to be very positive. The health of many
addicts was improved and stabilized. Consumption of illegally obtained
drugs decreased significantly, as did also criminal behavior. The number of
those in full and part time employment rose steadily, while two-thirds of
those who left the program transferred to abstinence (30%) or methadone
(37%) based therapies.
A study published in 1998 showed that when compared with methadone based
therapy, the heroin trial showed improved results in all significant areas,
including the number of those who completed the program. The report moved
the government in 1998 to make heroin based therapy a permanent part of the
4-Pillar Policy, its expansion being approved by two-thirds of the Swiss
people.
The initiative currently under way by the EDA is aimed at overturning this
decision of the Swiss people. They have collected over 50,000 signatures,
enough to force another referendum. The vote will be held June 13. The
arguments being used are based on the usual scare stories suggesting the
number of participants will rise astronomically, or that heroin is highly
toxic, and drawing attention to any aspect of the heroin trial which was
regarded by any of the critics as being less than perfect, as for instance,
the alleged failure to provide a scientifically approved control group.
Heroin is, in fact, no more toxic than morphine which is prescribed daily
in Swiss hospitals, so that there is no rational reason to object to
re-registering heroin in the medical pharmacopoeia. The cost argument is
easily turned since any therapy has to be paid for and the social costs of
sickness (AIDS) and crime are constantly to be reckoned with and
considerably higher when no help is provided. (Complete report at website
given above)
Thomas Mueller writes in the 'Basler Zeitung' ( http://www.baz.ch ) under
the headline: Deny Hard Core Addicts Their Last Chance?
Some 860 drug addicts currently receive heroin from the state to facilitate
their re-entry into an ordered lifestyle and departure one day from a life
of addiction. A referendum conducted under the leadership of the EDU
evangelical party, Federal Democratic Union, is aimed at overturning the
decision to continue the trial and is using false arguments in its struggle
to do so.
Basle. The heroin trial aims at helping those addicts who are not to be
helped by any other means. What is at issue here is a very narrowly focused
offer of therapy to those addicts who a. have been dependent for at least
two years; have tried and withdrawn from other forms of therapy at least
twice, and who are 18 years of age or older and are now, because of their
drug consumption, suffering physically, psychologically or spiritually, or
have fallen from their position on the social ladder. It is but one of many
forms of therapy and is not intended for mass consumption. The heroin is
given out in specialized centers and must be consumed on the premises.
The heroin-based treatment is a reaction to the dramatically miserable
condition of many drug addicts at the end of the 80s. At that time the open
drug scenes in Zurich, Basle and Berne were the focus of drug policy
debate. It was impossible to overlook the suffering of many of the addicts.
Drug related crime rose sharply in the cities concerned. The heroin
distribution is supported by a majority of the political parties and the
governing council as part of the Four Pillars Policy: Prevention,
Therapy, Harm Reduction and Law Enforcement.
Medically supervised distribution of heroin aims at improving the health of
the addicts, freeing them from the stress of having to provide their drugs
through crime on the street. In the long term, the improvement of their
quality of life will facilitate their climb out of a life of addiction.
(We continue with a slightly abbreviated summary of the main points of the
rest of the article. pd)
At the end of the three year trial the balance sheet was drawn up by the
Institute for Addiction Research and the Institute for Social and
Preventive Medicine. It proved to be very positive. The health of many
addicts was improved and stabilized. Consumption of illegally obtained
drugs decreased significantly, as did also criminal behavior. The number of
those in full and part time employment rose steadily, while two-thirds of
those who left the program transferred to abstinence (30%) or methadone
(37%) based therapies.
A study published in 1998 showed that when compared with methadone based
therapy, the heroin trial showed improved results in all significant areas,
including the number of those who completed the program. The report moved
the government in 1998 to make heroin based therapy a permanent part of the
4-Pillar Policy, its expansion being approved by two-thirds of the Swiss
people.
The initiative currently under way by the EDA is aimed at overturning this
decision of the Swiss people. They have collected over 50,000 signatures,
enough to force another referendum. The vote will be held June 13. The
arguments being used are based on the usual scare stories suggesting the
number of participants will rise astronomically, or that heroin is highly
toxic, and drawing attention to any aspect of the heroin trial which was
regarded by any of the critics as being less than perfect, as for instance,
the alleged failure to provide a scientifically approved control group.
Heroin is, in fact, no more toxic than morphine which is prescribed daily
in Swiss hospitals, so that there is no rational reason to object to
re-registering heroin in the medical pharmacopoeia. The cost argument is
easily turned since any therapy has to be paid for and the social costs of
sickness (AIDS) and crime are constantly to be reckoned with and
considerably higher when no help is provided. (Complete report at website
given above)
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