Vancouver hosts Canada's first public forum on prescription heroin and harm reduction

“It’s a bit counterintuitive to people; somebody’s addicted to heroin and you’re giving them the thing they're addicted to—that’s a bit counterintuitive,” Bernstein said in a telephone interview. “But ultimately, the reason the treatment works is because it recognizes that a lot of the harm that comes to people who are addicted to heroin is not coming from the drug itself, it is coming from the fact that it’s an illicit substance.”

He explained that for some hard-core users, putting patients on a prescribed dose of heroin is proving the only effective means of bringing people into the health-care system and helping them avoid the health risks that come with using heroin on the street.

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