In an effort to treat Canadians enslaved by a junk habit, the
Liberal government has taken action against an old law by imposing a
new set of regulations that will allow medical professionals to provide
addicts with daily doses of pharmaceutical-grade heroin.
Earlier last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s
administration made a move to revamp some of the extreme anti-drug
policies that were put on the books by the Conservative government
during its rule. Specifically, the change involves a tweak in the
language of Health Canada’s Special Access Program, giving physicians
the freedom to treat severe cases of heroin addiction with a
prescription form of the drug known as diacetylmorphine.
Canadian health officials did not make any real noise over the newly
amended drug policy. It was not until a federal notice got published on
the government’s Canada Gazette that it was revealed legal heroin was
set to make a comeback in the northern nation.
“Canada is currently facing an opioid overdose crisis, and we need to
assist our healthcare providers in treating their patients, including
those who are suffering from chronic relapsing opioid dependency,” Health Canada said in a statement.
“Scientific evidence supports the medical use of diacetylmorphine for
the treatment of chronic relapsing opioid dependence in certain
individual cases. Health Canada recognizes the importance of providing
physicians with the power to make evidence-based treatment proposals in
these exceptional cases.”
The concept of administering diacetylmorphine to Canadians suffering
from decades of heroin addiction is an approach that has been used for
around the past 10 years at the Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver. There,
more than 50 of the most hardcore heroin addiction cases in the
area—those who no longer respond to traditional methadone
treatments—have been enrolled in a controversial outpatient drug
maintenance program, which entails receiving free injections of
medical-grade heroin three times a day.
But the program is not something that is easy to endure. Since this
therapy is an outpatient procedure, addicts must get themselves to the
clinic up to three times a day—regardless of work or family
responsibilities. Failure to comply with the rules is grounds for
disqualification.
However, a recent report from the Washighton Post
suggests that, despite the program’s strict participation requirements,
the rate for which the enlisted addicts are unsuccessful in fulfilling
their obligation is amazingly low, begging the question: Could this
health policy help put a leash on the opioid epidemic in the United
States?
Dr. Scott MacDonald, head physician at Crosstown, believes it could.
Over the summer, the expert on heroin-assisted therapy testified on Capitol Hill
that providing addicts with the drug in a controlled environment
contributes to healthier individuals and helps prevent the kind of
desperation that often leads to addicts getting wrapped up in
drug-related crime.
A number of other countries, including Denmark and Switzerland, have already embraced this therapy.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s latest move toward common sense health and drug reform should come as no surprise.
In April, the Liberal government announced plans to eliminate marijuana prohibition
across the entire nation. The idea is to cripple criminal organization
by establishing a taxed and regulated marketplace—keeping the substance
out of the hands of children and promoting responsible use.
Some of the latest reports indicate that Canada’s scheme to implement
a full-scale legal cannabis trade will come about at some point during
the first half of 2017.
By Mike Adams hightimes.com
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