Free Dope

No matter how much sense it seems to make, no program that denies fundamental virtues--here, justice and temperance--will work. Excerpts from an article about free heroin:

A new program that would supply free heroin for hardcore addicts in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside is having trouble recruiting addicts.

The North American Opiate Medications Initiative (NAOMI) project is being piloted in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto ”“ at a total cost of $8 million.

In Vancouver, officials are looking for 157 participants by November.

They've received about 300 phone calls of inquiry, but NAOMI's lead investigator Dr. Martin Schecter says only 21 people have been found who fit the requirements.

They say the free drugs mean the addicts won't need to turn to crime to pay for the drugs ”“ and will be able to concentrate on counselling to help kick the habit.

Link.