Canadian doctors can now prescribe heroin to people with serious addictions to the drug.
This change is thanks to new regulations approved earlier this month by the Canadian government.
The government says this treatment will be limited to a small number of users “in cases where traditional options have been tried and proven ineffective.”
Doctors will need to apply to Health Canada — the country’s health department — for access to pharmaceutical grade heroin (diacetylmorphine).
Requests will be approved on a case-by-case basis as part of the government-run Special Access Programme.
Shift in approach
This new policy is part of a shift by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government away from the previous Conservative government’s approach toward fighting drug addiction and misuse.
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