Heroin-Assisted Treatment in The Netherlands, 2012

"In 2012 there are still 740 treatment places for medical heroin prescription operational at 18 units in 16 different municipalities (Regulation Heroin Treatment). Since 15 October 2009 heroin (diamorphine) can be prescribed by physicians working at municipal treatment units for treatment resistant heroin addicts to addicts who are registered at that units. For this reason the Opium Act Decision was complemented with Appendix 2 (Stb 2009-348). Medical heroin prescription is legal on the condition that strict requirements are met. A 4-year follow-up study concluded that the physical and psychological condition of the patients who received heroin treatment was far better and they caused much less public nuisance than the heroin users who withdrew from the treatment (Blanken et al. 2010)."