Harm reduction--a common cause

In a field as complex as heroin addiction, controversy is useful in stimulating exchange of ideas. An appeal for action, however, based on what we already know to be enormously beneficial to addicts and to the general society, must be given higher priority than proselytizing for any given approach. We know that narcotic addiction takes a terrible toll and that, like alcoholism, we are currently unable to cure it. We also know that many addicts desperately seek methadone treatment, that many can be helped by it, and that many will die without it. The conclusion is clear: methadone treatment, one therapeutic approach among many, must be available upon request to all those who want it.