PropertyValue
?:author
?:datePublished
  • 2016-09-15 (xsd:date)
?:headline
  • Canada Legalizes Heroin? (pt)
?:inLanguage
?:itemReviewed
?:mentions
?:reviewBody
  • In September 2016 a number of social media posts left readers with the impression that Canada had quietly legalized the general use of heroin, a seemingly shocking claim given the substance's reputation as one of the hardest and most lethal street drugs. There was some truth behind the rumor, but the refrain that Canada legalized heroin was not quite accurate. According to the Canadian Press, on 8 September 2016 Canada enacted regulatory changes that enable doctors to prescribe heroin to patients who are severely addicted to opioids in cases where traditional treatment has failed: The decision was made in part due to a growing number of opiate-related fatalities in Canada, including more than 250 deaths in a four-month period in early 2016. The regulatory changes were proposed in May 2016 and described as suitable for a small group of addicts. The American ABC News outlet provided additional detail about the program's intricacies, including commentary from medical and drug policy experts who underscored that the program was reserved for those suffering from treatment-resistant opioid addiction: The recent movement towards marijuana decriminalization (including provisions for recreational as well as medical use) in the U.S. led many social media users to infer Canada's purported legalization of heroin resembled the dispensary model with which many Americans are familiar. But the Canadian program is akin to neither legal medical or recreational marijuana use in states such as California or Colorado. Experts have noted that the pool of eligible opiate-dependent Canadians is small, and the new regulations do not allow anyone to walk into a shop and purchase heroin either with a prescription or at their leisure. The program is described as suitable only for long term heroin users who have already attempted traditional heroin cessation treatments at least twice and failed; it does not facilitate heroin acquisition for casual users or others without a documented history of failed addiction rehabilitation attempts. (en)
?:reviewRating
rdf:type
?:url