Prescribing Heroin

Recent UK guidelines support the prescription of injectable heroin and methadone for opiate dependence, but many doctors disagree. Heroin has been prescribed in England for almost a hundred years, and the "British system" was once the subject of international curiosity. Since 1965, a presc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American journal on addictions Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 311 - 318
Main Author Carnwath, Tom
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Informa UK Ltd 01.07.2005
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects
Drug Prescriptions
Health Policy
Heroin - administration & dosage
Heroin - therapeutic use
Humans
Licensure
Narcotics - administration & dosage
Narcotics - therapeutic use
Opioid-Related Disorders - drug therapy
United Kingdom
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Summary:Recent UK guidelines support the prescription of injectable heroin and methadone for opiate dependence, but many doctors disagree. Heroin has been prescribed in England for almost a hundred years, and the "British system" was once the subject of international curiosity. Since 1965, a prescriber licensing system has led to a great reduction in the proportion of opiate addicts treated with heroin. Recent trials in Switzerland and the Netherlands have prompted a review of British practice. It will probably remain somewhat different from continental practice, particularly with respect to long-term supervised injecting, but without adequate funding it may disappear altogether.
Bibliography:ArticleID:AJAD717
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istex:C87B44B463FDD9AB656016AFD7A7312D4DA02F02
ISSN:1055-0496
1521-0391
DOI:10.1080/10550490591003549