Swiss Heroin Distribution plan still looks misguided

Switzerland has long marched to the beat of a different drum. But when 71
percent of voters in a recent referendum supported state distribution of
heroin, the country turns out to have missed a step. "Just say yes" to
heroin failed to live up to its billing in Britain, and it will likely
disappoint Switzerland, too. If anything good is to come of the move, it
will emerge only if the Swiss keep accurate data so more can be learned
about addiction from their experiment with drug freedom.

Why did voters validate an experimental heroin distribution program for
hardcore addicts? "Harm reduction" is the term of art among drug policy
experts. Simply stated, a threeyear study purports to have found that the
distribution program resulted in a decrease in HIV infection rates and in a
reduction in crime. Withdrawal from heroin is so painful that addicts often
feel compelled to steal in order to buy more heroin. While some property
crimes may have decreased, violent crime is alleged to have increased.
Critics also are responding that heroin addicts were tested for HIV only
when they requested it, which means no conclusions can be drawn about the
success of the heroin distribution experiment.

As the Swiss Ministry of Health goes about putting the heroin distribution
plan on a permanent legal footing, here are some additional questions to
ponder:

Should the goal be shortterm harm reduction or the rehabilitation of
users that leads to longerterm harm reduction? The United States is
obliged to address this question in the context of methadone "treatment,"
which leaves the addict forever dependent on one substance, if not the other.

Is the Swiss experience comparable or transferable to the United States?
Switzerland is a small, economically homogeneous country. The United States
is much larger and diverse. While the Swiss experiment has supplied heroin
to 1,100 hardcore addicts, an additional 141,000 individuals, most of them
under age 26, began using heroin for the first time, in the U.S. last year
alone.

What are the consequences of having the Swiss nation formally condone
heroin use? At a time when narcotics trafficking organizations are becoming
infinitely more sophisticated, it is likely to impede international drug
enforcement by contributing to the destigmatization of the drug.

The Swiss pride themselves on their independent ways. And every nation has
the right to approach the issue as it sees fit, especially if it is willing
to accurately weigh the results of its decision. But it is surprising that
a nation known for its mountaineering expertise should now have chosen to
descend down such a slippery slope.