Free Heroin and Its Purpose

Heroin is a dangerous drug that is highly addicting and can drastically change the life of anyone who takes it.  These properties make it seem like giving people this drug for free would be extremely dangerous and irresponsible.  The only thing is, due to the extremely addicting properties of heroin, giving out heroin for free under medical supervision is probably the safer thing to do.  The heroin that is given under medical supervision at a clinic is pure and along with the clean medical equipment that is also given freely makes for the safest way to get high.  Free Heroin Clinics are beneficial establishments created specially for heroin addicts that have tried to kick the habit before and could not.  This gives the addicts a safe place to do their drug for free, reducing the amount of heroin related crimes, overdoses, and diseases.

Free Heroin Clinics started for the people that have made an attempt, but could never actually kick the drug.  Addiction is viewed as a chronic disease which means that once someone is addicted, they will never be completely free from that addiction.  That means that some addicts that do not have the money or resources will do anything for their fix.  Committing violent crimes does not seem so bad in the eyes of the fiending addict who only has his eyes on a heroin filled needle in his arm.  That same heroin could kill him through an overdose, or even that needle could give him a death sentence from contracting HIV.  A Free Heroin Clinic eliminates all of these scenarios by providing the heroin to the addict for free so he does not have to take any drastic measure to get his high and by providing a safe amount of pure heroin and clean, unused needles.

The Free Heroin Clinic itself does not look much different from an ordinary doctor’s office.  Like most medical facilities, the waiting room is the worst part.  Once it is a patients turn, they get the choice to smoke their heroin or inject it.  If an addict wishes to inject his fix, he is brought to a booth and given pure substance and a sterilized needle.  When a patient decides to smoke his drug, he is put in a room for about seven people.  The clinics go above and beyond by providing things such as pre-cut tinfoil, condoms, and a drink that provides daily nutrition for the human body.

A heroin user’s life is not always over once he is addicted to the drug.  A free heroin clinic can put an addict’s life back on track while still giving him the drug up to three times daily. It helps addicts in different ways, some by letting them get high for free so they have the chance to get their life back together.  A patient at a Free Heroin Clinic in Vancouver said that it has given him time to put his life back together.  It has given him the time and resources to work on getting out of a homeless shelter, pay overdue bills, and work with a social worker to make his life whole once again.

The people that benefit from free heroin are not only the addicts, but also the public.  European countries that have already used free heroin clinics say that it has lowered crime rate, misery, and the spread of disease due to drug addiction.  Other methods used as treatment for heroin addicts such as Methadone clinics prove to be less effective yet more expensive.  A Methadone clinic runs similarly to a Free Heroin Clinic except they give out opiates in the form of pills and theses clinics are less successful. While at Methadone clinics 54 percent of participants return for treatment, 90 percent return to a Free Heroin Clinic.  Studies show that patients that used the Free Heroin Clinic saved $40,000 for the state compared to those of the Methadone clinic.  The Free Heroin Clinic is more cost efficient and more successful than a Methadone Clinic.

Drug abuse can cause severe problems in someone’s life.  Occasionally, the habit can be broken and that person can live a normal life.  When their addiction grows into a disease is when people should stop looking at why it is their fault for developing an addiction and how they can be helped.  A Free Heroin Clinic is what can give an addict a second chance at redeveloping their life and stop them from being detrimental to society.   Free Heroin Clinics benefit society because they eliminate the danger of addiction through providing pure heroin, sterilized needles, and a safer environment.

Works Cited

Hiebert, Paul. “The Only Place Where They’ll Inject You With Heroin for Free.” Pacific Standard. Pacific Standard, 3 June 2013. Web. 05 May 2015.

Roes, Thijs. “Only in the Netherlands Do Addicts Complain About Free Government Heroin | VICE News.” VICE News RSS. Vice News, 6 May 2014. Web. 04 May 2015.