German Law on Heroin-Assisted Treatment

"With the 'Act on diamorphine-assisted substitution therapy which came into effect on 21 July 2009 (German Federal Law Gazette, BGBl., I of 20 July 2009, p. 1801) the legal preconditions were created for a transfer of the diamorphine-assisted therapy from the German national model project into regular care by changing the Narcotics Act (BtMG), the Medical Products Act (AMG) and the Regulation on the Prescription of Narcotic Drugs (BtMVV). The act stipulates primarily that diamorphine (pharmaceutically produced heroin, provided it is approved as a medicinal product for substitution purposes under pharmaceuticals law) becomes eligible to prescription – on very narrow criteria – for the substitution treatment of heavily dependent opioid addicts (c.f. REITOX reports 2007 and 2008).
"Government funding for the Laender and municipalities which originally participated in the clinical pharmaceuticals study funded by the Ministry for Health (“Heroin Study”) expired at the end of February 2008. The Federal Government funded the documentation and monitoring of the diamorphine assisted therapy in Germany until 2011 in order to ensure continuous monitoring was undertaken for the purpose of quality assurance, which included the therapy standards and effects."