REGULATE HEROIN

The spate of heroin overdoses in Manatee County is cause for alarm.
Because heroin is sold via an unregulated illicit market, its quality
and purity fluctuate tremendously. A user accustomed to low-quality
heroin who unknowingly uses near pure heroin will likely overdose. The
inevitable tough-on-drugs response to the overdose deaths is a real
threat to public safety.

Attempts to limit the supply of drugs while demand remains constant
only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. In terms of
addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate
addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The
drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

While the United States remains committed to harmful drug policies
modeled after alcohol prohibition, Europe has largely abandoned the
drug war in favor of harm reduction alternatives. Switzerland's heroin
maintenance trials have been shown to reduce drug-related disease,
death and crime among chronic users.

Addicts would not be sharing needles if not for zero tolerance laws
that restrict access to clean syringes, nor would they be committing
crimes if not for artificially inflated black market prices. Heroin
maintenance pilot projects are now under way in Germany, Spain and the
Netherlands.

If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized
crime of a core client base. This would render illegal heroin
trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations addiction.
Putting public health before politics may send the wrong message to
children, but I like to think the children are more important than the
message.

ROBERT SHARPE

Arlington, Va.