# Heroin in the Netherlands
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroin-in-the-netherlands/752858
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 23, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroin-in-the-netherlands/752858 "2016-04-23T02:04:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroin-in-the-netherlands/752858/1 "2016-04-23T02:04:33Z")
The Netherlands has, as I understand it, not “legalized” heroin per se but massively decriminalized it by offering long-term addicts medicinal heroin as part of the country’s general healthcare system. Wikipedia has a brief article on it but I was specifically wondering how it has generally worked out. Anything there to support or refute the notion that the US should give up its “War On Drugs”?
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### Author:  [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2016, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroin-in-the-netherlands/752858/2 "2016-04-23T06:00:04Z")
Portugal went further.
> **[Drug policy of Portugal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal)**
>
> The drug policy of Portugal, informally called the "drug strategy", was put in place in 2000, and came into effect in July 2001. Its purpose was to reduce the number of new HIV/AIDS cases in the country, as it was estimated around half of new cases came from injection drug use.
> The policy consisted of multiple methods to reduce the spread of HIV, among which were harm reduction efforts, information to the public and in particular to populations most at risk about how HIV is spread, establishin...
TL;DR version - it works.
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### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2016, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroin-in-the-netherlands/752858/3 "2016-04-23T13:29:24Z")
> [@Lumpy](#):
>
> The Netherlands has, as I understand it, not “legalized” heroin per se but massively decriminalized it by offering long-term addicts medicinal heroin as part of the country’s general healthcare system. Wikipedia has a brief article on it but I was specifically wondering how it has generally worked out. Anything there to support or refute the notion that the US should give up its “War On Drugs”?
A more accurate name for the US policy should be “War On People Who Take Drugs”. It’s stupid, wasteful can’t work and has been a massive failure.
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### Author:  [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroin-in-the-netherlands/752858/4 "2016-04-23T14:55:30Z")
Even closer to home, [Vancouver BC](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/world/americas/canada-vancouver-heroin-prescriptions.html?ref=world&_r=0) has an interesting program for addicts. Three times per day they check into a monitored city facility for safe, prescription injections of medical heroin (Diacetylmorphine HCL). This is much like the [Swiss](http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1926160,00.html) program.
Cost is US$21,000 per year. I’d bet that is cheaper than arrest, trial and incarceration.
[Here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin-assisted_treatment) is the wiki article on the topic.
I would say that these programs are a good refutation of the American War on Drugs. We have lost, the cartels have won. As we have learned from alcohol and guns, prohibition does not work as a means of curing violence or “moral failings”.