In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

by Gabor Maté

Few harm reductionists who know their stuff recommend a market-led free-for-all in drugs like heroin and cocaine and the amphetamine stimulants. But there is now an undisputable body of evidence that demonstrates that developing mechanisms to make safer forms of these drugs available to those with an intractable need brings enormous benefits to both the drug user and the society around them. Thus both Holland and Switzerland and parts of Germany have changed policies and seen an enormous drop in the levels of drug-related crime. The average age of hard-drug users is rising there, indicated that fewer young people are taking up such an activity. The real obscenity here is the shocking lack of funding for treatment and care and harm-reduction initiatives that have been shown to work. The U.K. National Treatment Outcome Survey (known as NTROS) showed that for every one pound invested in treatment and care, three pounds came back in health care and enforcement savings. If such a return was available in the financial markets, we’d all rush to take advantage.