It's possible to use heroin daily for the remainder of your life and have a better health outcome than a cigarette smoker.
The drug war makes heroin use more dangerous. Now you have dirty needles, cut drugs, highly inconsistent doses, lack of free treatment/therapy, fear of police and the legal system that leads to reluctance to seek medical attention, etc. And of course black market violence still exists here and abroad.
"Like most opioids, unadulterated heroin does not cause many long-term complications other than dependence and constipation."
The program seems to have been a success, destroying the market for illegal heroin, and also reducing demand because it gives the drug a perception of being for losers.
>An estimated 13.5 million people in the world take opioids (opium-like substances), including 9.2 million who use heroin.
That's an insignificant number compared to the global population and all the harm the BS cat/mouse game with mafia and police has caused.
Back then lives were being ruined as well. And the availability and affordability of dangerous drugs has only increased since then.
People just didn't make such a "fuss" of addiction, and especially in the case of poorer people, nobody really cared.
So why should we make a fuss out of it today?
>and especially in the case of poorer people, nobody really cared.
Whereas now they do?
It makes sense to decriminalize users/addicts because they are the victims whom drug legislation is supposed to protect in the first place.
But to me it makes no sense to allow anyone to profit from a substance that causes this much harm.