A secondary analysis of existing scientific and research literature has been done to delineate the development and the implications of heroin control. The prohibitionist attitude against any use of the drug started during the 20s in the United States, where also the first observations of heroin abuse had been published. The crusade against heroin at that time was strongly and openly moralistic. Many expert opinions which sided with the prohibitionist view were also tinged by the moralistic attitude and were not based on any sound scientific evidence. Heroin was demonized and gained the status of a somewhat mythical substance. In Europe the prohibition of heroin has never been fully implemented. Some countries followed their own tradition concerning drug policies. The most striking example in this context is Great Britain. It seems wise that Europe keeps to this attitude since there is a growing bulk of evidence that the medical use of heroin might offer some advantages in the treatment of pain of severely ill patients and of long-term opiate addicts.

Keywords:
Heroin, Heroin prohibition, American drug control policies, European drug control policies, Medical use of heroin
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© 1996 S. Karger AG, Basel
1996
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