German doctors vote to prescribe heroin to misusers

Heroin should be distributed to a select group of longstanding addicts, the German Medical Council unanimously decided last week. The council has now applied to the minister of justice to enable opiates to be legalised in a strictly medically controlled context.

Dr Ingo Flenker, a member of the German Medical Council, said that the decision had been influenced by the recent results from Switzerland that showed the effectiveness of such an approach. Several other countries, including Australia, Denmark, …