Explain the concept of heroin-assisted treatment. In which country was this program introduced and why? Which countries currently have heroin-assisted treatment programs?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Swiss public health officials were faced with increasing rates of HIV infections exacerbated by intravenous heroin use and needle sharing. In 1994, in an effort to address this crisis, Swiss authorities approved a program of heroin-assisted treatment, during which individuals meeting criteria for a heroin use disorder are eligible to receive a prescription for pharmaceutical-grade heroin as part of their treatment. This decreases the likelihood that individuals enrolled in the program will use street heroin and be exposed to adulterants commonly found in heroin obtained via illicit markets. Heroin administration is just one part of this approach (albeit an important one). In addition to receiving two daily injections of heroin, individuals selected for this program are assigned a nurse, physician, psychologist, and social worker to aid in their care and to address the multiple issues that accompany heroin addiction. Switzerland's heroin-assisted treatment programs are credited with decreasing the number of Swiss who contracted the HIV virus and the number of these individuals who died from AIDS-related illnesses in the 1990s. These programs have also reduced the public use of heroin (e.g., in "needle parks," which had become an embarrassment for Swiss politicians and public health officials). As a result of more than 20 years of successful implementation of heroin-assisted treatment programs in Switzerland, similar programs have been initiated by several other countries, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.