Heroin Addiction: Are Shooting Galleries the Answer to Heroin Overdose Fatality?
Amidst the nation’s battle against drug abuse, the government seems hopeless in arresting the epidemic addiction of people with heroin. Just recently, Seattle officials are pushing a plan to erect government financed shooting galleries, dubbed as the nation’s first supervised heroin-injection clinics.
The daring move was contradicted by critics, who claimed that it will only make heroin addiction a greater problem. However, supporters believe that the galleries can save lives of many drug abuse.
The study presented two feasible sites to establish the facilities. One facility is planned to be built in Seattle, while the other in suburbs. Addicts can legally shoot heroin inside the gallery under a monitored setting handled by trained medical professionals, who can seek help from 911 when needed.
The project is the first in the United States and second to North America’s first supervised heroin haven. InSite, a government-funded injection facility is located in Vancouver, Canada. The facility has been operational for 13 years and has not reported any incidence of heroin overdose death.
Apart from Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland are also considering the same plan in order to reduce the incidence of heroin overdose fatalities. With the proposal, it seems that the government is moving forward not to solve heroin addiction, but to lower heroin-related deaths due to overdose.
Supporters believe that building these facilities can help addicts live better lives. They claimed that heroin addicts will surely have a lower chance to overdose, and HIV and other communicable diseases will be prevented.
The incidence of heroin addiction in Seattle was reduced for many years. However, it surged up again when prescription painkiller abuse such as Percocet and OxyContinincreased in the recent years. Heroin is cheaper and more accessible than painkillers so people abusing prescription medications are turning to heroin.
In the past two decades, the number of heroin users has grown three times while the number of heroin-related deaths has increased five times. It was also revealed that the number of people seeking treatment between 2010 and 2014 has doubled from 1,439 to 2,886.
With the increasing trend of heroin addiction and overdose, local officials believe that the heroin shooting galleries are a possible solution to the drug problem. They think that the new approach is a more effective method to save lives of people overdosing on heroin.
The heroin injection clinics will provide education, needle-exchange programsand treatment. It will also provide services including social services assistance and basic medical treatment.
More and more people are supporting the heroin clinics because they believe that it could help people save lives. With heroin addiction getting epidemic, some residents raised their concern that it is now time to act because not only few are affected. It could be someone’s father or mother, sons/ daughters.
The daring move was contradicted by critics, who claimed that it will only make heroin addiction a greater problem. However, supporters believe that the galleries can save lives of many drug abuse.
The study presented two feasible sites to establish the facilities. One facility is planned to be built in Seattle, while the other in suburbs. Addicts can legally shoot heroin inside the gallery under a monitored setting handled by trained medical professionals, who can seek help from 911 when needed.
The project is the first in the United States and second to North America’s first supervised heroin haven. InSite, a government-funded injection facility is located in Vancouver, Canada. The facility has been operational for 13 years and has not reported any incidence of heroin overdose death.
Apart from Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland are also considering the same plan in order to reduce the incidence of heroin overdose fatalities. With the proposal, it seems that the government is moving forward not to solve heroin addiction, but to lower heroin-related deaths due to overdose.
Supporters believe that building these facilities can help addicts live better lives. They claimed that heroin addicts will surely have a lower chance to overdose, and HIV and other communicable diseases will be prevented.
The incidence of heroin addiction in Seattle was reduced for many years. However, it surged up again when prescription painkiller abuse such as Percocet and OxyContinincreased in the recent years. Heroin is cheaper and more accessible than painkillers so people abusing prescription medications are turning to heroin.
In the past two decades, the number of heroin users has grown three times while the number of heroin-related deaths has increased five times. It was also revealed that the number of people seeking treatment between 2010 and 2014 has doubled from 1,439 to 2,886.
With the increasing trend of heroin addiction and overdose, local officials believe that the heroin shooting galleries are a possible solution to the drug problem. They think that the new approach is a more effective method to save lives of people overdosing on heroin.
The heroin injection clinics will provide education, needle-exchange programsand treatment. It will also provide services including social services assistance and basic medical treatment.
More and more people are supporting the heroin clinics because they believe that it could help people save lives. With heroin addiction getting epidemic, some residents raised their concern that it is now time to act because not only few are affected. It could be someone’s father or mother, sons/ daughters.