According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose is now the leading cause of injury-related fatalities in the United States, ahead of motor-vehicle collisions and firearms accidents. We made cars safer by having speed limits, seat belts, crumple zones and D.W.I. laws. We make it harder to buy a firearm with background checks and waiting periods, and we teach gun safety and sometimes mandate trigger locks. [We also have a president who considers marijuana use nothing more than a bad habit.] We can make heroin safer, too, by supplying methadone or buprenorphine as medications to treat physical dependence, providing clean needles to help prevent the spread of hepatitis and H.I.V., and facilitating the wide availability of naloxone to counteract overdoses. [So much for the root causes approach to combating deviant behavior.]
Robert S Hoffman, "How to Stop Heroin Deaths," The New York Times, February 6, 2014
Robert S Hoffman, "How to Stop Heroin Deaths," The New York Times, February 6, 2014
Methadone and buprenorphine treatment can certainly help those seeking recovery from heroin addictions. When used as part of a treatment plan, long-term recovery is possible.
ReplyDelete