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Vancouver to begin prescription heroin trials

Many people have died of overdoses in clinics recently.

By Thor Benson

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- The city of Vancouver, B.C., Canada will soon experiment with providing prescription heroin to addicts.

After 31 heroin addicts died over the course of two days in October, health officials realized something drastic had to be done about the city's heroin problem, according to The Atlantic.

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Addiction treatment clinics typically use methadone to help wean addicts off heroin, but some people do not respond to the replacement. Thus, Providence Medical Clinic is going to test providing small amounts of heroin to 120 patients during treatment.

Heroin addiction is a growing problem across North America, with places like Vermont witnessing a 250 percent increase in people seeking treatment for the addiction since 2000.

The EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) has experimented with prescription heroin as a second option after trying methadone and has seen promising results.

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