where exactly do the authorities get their heroin from?

The government is considering whether legal, injectable heroin might be one way to tackle the effects of drug abuse, but where exactly do the authorities get their heroin from?After a trial reported success in tackling use of street drugs and crime, Justice Secretary Jack Straw has suggested that prescribing heroin on the NHS may be the only way to deal with some users. Most people probably think of opium poppies coming from Taliban-controlled fields in Afghanistan or from the Far East's Golden Triangle, but it is perfectly possible to produce opium in the UK.<br /> Diamorphine for the addict treatment trial is produced in the UK<br /> The UK has one diamorphine producerPoppies are grown in Hampshire, Wiltshire and elsewhere in the south of EnglandIndeed, all of the diamorphine - equivalent to heroin - used in the UK's addict treatment trial is produced in the country. Opiates firm Macfarlan Smith, a subsidiary of Johnson Matthey, is the country's sole diamorphine producer. <br /> It holds contracts with farmers in the south of England - including Hampshire and Wiltshire - to grow crops of poppies, says Ian Godwin, communications director for Johnson Matthey. The firm takes the harvest and processes the poppies into what is called "active pharmaceutical ingredient" (API). This API is then passed on to a UK pharmaceuticals firm to be turned into doses. The processing of opium poppies is done under government licence in "extremely secure" conditions. <blockquote>The world's pharmaceutical firms get their poppies from everywhere from Spain to India, but the biggest producer is Tasmania in Australia. In Tasmania, a thousand farmers grow poppies across about 13,000 acres and it is one of the island's major exports. <br /> </blockquote>The growing of poppies there can only be done under licence and there are strict controls on access to the field. Possession of opium poppies is a crime. Heroin is not just for addicts but also for other medical uses <br /> The heroin prescription trial in the UK, which is being run at the National Addiction Centre, initially used diamorphine imported specially from Switzerland and distinct from the NHS's own stockpile. It moved to using British diamorphine when that became a cheap enough option. The cost of a year's diamorphine treatment for an addict is about £15,000, although this includes administering and supervising the injections. There have been similar trials involving pharmaceutical heroin in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Canada. But the UK also has another use for diamorphine. It continues to be used in palliative care, to relieve pain in terminally ill people. A recent problem with supply led to many doctors using other opioids, says Dr Bill Noble, president of the Association for Palliative Medicine. "It is virtually the same as using morphine. The only difference is that diamorphine is much more soluble than morphine, which means you can have much lower volume injections."A regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlines <br /> It is also used as part of the treatment for some patients with acute heart failure. <br /> Diamorphine does not tend to be used in other countries for palliative purposes simply because it is illegal, says Dr Noble.

where exactly do the authorities get their heroin from?

The government is considering whether legal, injectable heroin might be one way to tackle the effects of drug abuse, but where exactly do th...

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Health officials have stepped up their efforts to call attention to health risks caused by cocaine laced with levamisole

Health officials have stepped up their efforts to call attention to health risks caused by cocaine laced with levamisole, a veterinary anti-parasitic drug. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a nationwide health alert to medical professionals, substance abuse treatment centers and other public health authorities.<br /> In humans, levamisole can cause agranulocytosis, a serious, sometimes fatal blood disorder. Ingesting cocaine mixed with levamisole can seriously reduce a person's white blood cells, suppressing immune function and the body's ability to fight off even minor infections, according to SAMHSA. People who use crack or powdered cocaine laced with levamisole can experience overwhelming, rapidly-developing, life-threatening infections, the agency said in a news release.Other serious side effects can also occur. If you use cocaine watch out for:<br /> High fever, chills, or weakness.<br /> Swollen glands,Painful sores (mouth, anal)<br /> Infections that won't go away or gets worse very fast<br /> Skin infections, abscesses<br /> Thrush (white coating of the mouth, tongue, or throat)<br /> Pneumonia (fever, cough, shortness of breath)<br /> "SAMHSA and other public health authorities are working together to inform everyone of this serious potential public health risk and what measures are being taken to address it," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick.<br /> The number of reported cases of agranulocytosis due to tainted cocaine use is expected to increase as information about levamisole is disseminated through the medical community. Thus far, 20 known cases and two deaths have been confirmed.According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Columbia cocaine producers are lacing their product with the medication to give it an extra kick.

Health officials have stepped up their efforts to call attention to health risks caused by cocaine laced with levamisole

Health officials have stepped up their efforts to call attention to health risks caused by cocaine laced with levamisole, a veterinary anti-...

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