Our Views

The Australian government has proposed a zero-tolerance policy on drug addiction that, if implemented, could come close to putting an end to the drug problem. Unfortunately, it is steeped in controversy. Nevertheless, I’m quite certain that anyone with a heroin addiction problem, or a family member who’s lived through that horror, would be hard-pressed to disagree with the recommendations.

The Parliament is recommending a three-fold program: mandatory drug rehab for young addicts, re-channeling harm reduction funds into drug-free drug rehab programs, and adopting out the children of addicts.

Okay, so the adopting out the children of addicts part is obviously going to be a real sore point. And forcing young people into drug rehab might also be a stretch. But using harm reduction funds for drug-free drug rehab could be just what the doctor ordered – especially for heroin addiction, the drug problem that most lends itself to ‘drug replacement therapy’ and is prominent in harm reduction. What heroin addicts really need is a good heroin detox to help them through withdrawal and then a good drug rehab program that gets them pointed in the right direction.

The long and short of it this: heroin addicts are given methadone instead of heroin – they don’t get a handle on their heroin addiction, they just switch to methadone. How is this harm reduction? They’re getting their drugs legally, they don’t have to use someone else’s dirty needle so they’re not going to get AIDS or Hepatitis C, and they don’t commit crimes to get their drugs. That’s harm reduction.

But it really does nothing to address the heroin addiction. And it does nothing to address the problems that drove the person to drugs. So, we still have an addict – someone who can’t function without drugs. And a drugged society. Heroin detox and rehab that actually handles heroin addiction is obviously the better choice.

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