PRESCRIBED HEROIN TRIALS MAKE SENSE

To the editor:

A couple of points Mark Hasiuk missed in his column, which readers
need to be aware of before making up their minds.

Firstly, NAOMI clearly demonstrated that prescribed heroin within a
treatment setting is more effective for refractory heroin addiction
than is the current gold standard of treatment--methadone.

SALOME is the next step in clinical trials of refractory chronic,
treatment-resistant opioid dependence. It seeks to answer the question
of whether a relatively non-controversial, relatively clinically
accessible drug (dilaudid) in fact offers the same therapeutic benefit
as dihydromorphone (heroin).

This seems eminently sensible to me.

Dr. Perry Kendall,

B.C. Ministry of Health