Pubdate: Tue, 19 Sep 2000 Source: Canberra Times (Australia) Copyright: 2000 Canberra Times Contact: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/ Author: Geoff Page, Narrabundah ADDICTS: NO HOPE ONCE THEY'RE DEAD I NOTE with approval your unsensational report of Dr Gabriele Bammer's research on naltrexone and buprenorphine as "cures" for heroin addiction. Admittedly her sample is small, but the limited success of naltrexone in this area simply re-emphasises the need for variety in treatment, all the way from Brian Watters's abstinence programs and the use of naltrexone right through to the limited heroin trial first proposed by Dr Bammer some years ago now. As Dr Bammer says, "Part of the problem is people want magic solutions, and there are no magic solutions". People with an overwhelming sense of mental neatness, such as Messrs Osborne and Rugendyke, might like to consider whether they really prefer users to die from heroin of unknown purity or whether continued (but not necessarily indefinite) addiction to regulated heroin supplied at cost by the government might not be a better interim solution for all concerned. It is really quite hard to rehabilitate the dead. - --- MAP posted-by: John Chase