• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Drug Policy and Law
  • Harm Reduction
  • Activism

Drugreporter

News and Films from the Frontline of the War on Drugs

  • News
  • Café
  • Videos
  • About Us
  • EN
    • HU
    • RU

Waiting for a Legal Shot

October 22, 2009 | Author: Péter Sárosi

Tweet

HCLU and the Danish Street Lawyers present you their new short movie about the introduction of heroin maintenance to Denmark

 

Watch the movie here!
In February 2008 the Danish parliament made an almost unanimous decision to launch a 9,5 Million € medical heroin maintenance project. This decision put an end to a 15 years long debate on how to treat those “hard core” heroin users who do not want or who cannot abstain from using heroin for a longer period of time. Denmark is the first country where decision makers introduced heroin maintenance as a permanent service without a trial. There was a significant political opposition to the idea of providing addicts with the drug of their addiction: some people considered this step as a full surrender in the war on drugs. “Why don’t you treat the real problem, that is, addiction itself?”, they asked. However, even opponents had to confess that recently there is no silver bullet to “kill” addiction: it is still a chronic, relapsing social and health condition, not curable in the short run. Most heroin users try to quit several times and relapse even more before they can stop the circle: it is not our choice to decide when. But it is our choice to help them to survive heroin use without getting infected with HIV and hepatitis C, or felling victim to a lethal overdose. It is our choice to let people use on the street or to create a supervised environment for opiate users where they can use sterile injecting equipment and dispose their used syringes safely. It is also important for the whole society where these people get their daily doses from: whether they purchase it from the black market, that is, from criminal organizations, or from a legal medical clinic, in controlled quality and quantity. Most heroin users commit crimes in order to feed their habit. If you provide them with cheap medical substitutes of street drugs, they should not get involved in criminal activities and prostitution to avoid withdrawal symptoms. What is more, a significant proportion of the patients of heroin maintenance programs will be able to build a new life and quit heroin use.

 

This is not our opinion: this is what scientific evidence tells us. Check yourself!

Filed Under: Articles, Video Database Topics: Criminalisation, Drug Consumption Rooms, Drug Policy and Law, Harm Reduction, Opiate Substitution, Regulation and Control, Sex Work

Access to this article is free - but to produce articles and videos is not. Drugreporter is a non-profit website that needs your support to provide you with high quality contents.

Become a supporter and make a donation of 5 $ today!

Kapcsolódó cikkek:

The Italian Anti-Rave Law Violates Human Rights – Interview with Susanna Ronconi

February 1, 2023 - Péter Sárosi

40 Years in the Frontlines of Harm Reduction in Ireland – Interview with Tony Duffin

December 20, 2022 - Péter Sárosi

Decriminalisation in Portugal: Through the Lens of People who Use Drugs

December 5, 2022 - István Gábor Takács

Kapcsolódó videók:

Decriminalisation in Portugal: Through the Lens of People who Use Drugs

December 5, 2022 - István Gábor Takács

Drugreporter News | 2022 November

November 24, 2022 - István Gábor Takács

Harm Reduction in Athens – With the Eye of an Outsider

November 23, 2022 - Péter Sárosi

You can browse our topics here:

Activism COVID-19 Criminalisation Dose of Science Drug Consumption Rooms Drug Policy and Law European Drug Policy Harm Reduction Hepatitis HIV/AIDS Marijuana Policies Medical Marijuana Needle and syringe programs New Psychoactive Substances Opiate Substitution Overdose Prevention Psychedelic Medicines Regulation and Control Russian Drug Policy Sex Work United Nations Drug Policy US Drug Policy

Primary Sidebar

BECOME A SUPPORTER OF DRUGREPORTER! INVEST THE PRICE OF A COFFEE MONTHLY AND MAKE SURE DRUGREPORTER KEEPS RUNNING!
Subscribe to the Newsletter!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

Drugreporter Video Database

Hundreds of videos on drug policy, harm reduction and human rights for streaming and download, also on a world map!

DRUGREPORTER NEWS

Monthly drug policy news from around the world

Drugreporter café

In our new online video show, we regularly discuss new developments in the world of drug policy with professionals, activists and decision makers. You can also listen to the Drugreporter Café in Podcast format on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

COVID-19 Harm Reduction Update

On this info page Drugreporter provides regular updates about resources and news on how harm reduction service providers respond to the COVID-19 Epidemic.

Drugreporter Video Advocacy Network

Browse videos produced by members of our Drugreporter Video Advocacy Network, from all around the world!

DRUG USERS NEWS

Russian language videos on drug policy, harm reduction and human rights.

Our award winning animated documentary movie is based on the original audio recording of Kostya Proletarsky, a drug user and HIV activist who died as a result of mistreatment and torture at a Russian prison. Festival appearances, news and resources are available here!

Footer

Rights Reporter Foundation
Hungary, 1032 Budapest
San Marco Street 70.
Email: rightsreporter@rightsreporter.net

Search

Our other websites:

The Rights Reporter Foundation

The Autocracy Analyst

Room for Change Campaign

Room in the 8th District Campaign

A Day in the Life movie website

Drugreporter