"The existing interference and non-evidence-based opposition from politicians and care providers, who refuse to acknowledge the limitations of methadone maintenance and the superiority of prescribed heroin in selected populations, is arguably unethical. Denying effective second-line therapy to those in need ultimately serves to condemn many users of illicit heroin to the all too common outcomes of untreated heroin addiction, including HIV infection or death from overdose."
Source
Kerr, T., Montaner, J. S., & Wood, E. (2010). Science and politics of heroin prescription. Lancet (London, England), 375(9729), 1849–1850. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60544-2
