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Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Britain was regarded
as a junkies paradise by Canadian drug users and more than a few settled
in the London area to take advantage of Britains liberal drug
laws which at that time allowed drugs such as heroin and cocaine to
be prescribed by GPs in the treatment of addiction. Changes in
the British drug treatment system stopped the influx and Canadian junkies
stayed where they were, suffering under more or less the same draconian
drugs laws as their neighbours over the border in the states. Now the
same winds of change that have blown through Europe are touching Canada.
The Canadian Federal Government are proposing a Swiss type heroin trial,
under which about 125 addicts in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal are
to be offered heroin scripts. Users will have to inject their drugs
under medical supervision and will be able to receive heroin twice
or three times if they wish in a day. So what, you might say?
Big deal, who wants to attend a hospital to have a dig , even if it
is 100% pure shit. The point is, however, that when a country like Canada,
with the US drug warriors breathing right down the back of its neck,
starts thinking about prescribing heroin, then attitudes are beginning
to change. Even if those changes are very small.
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