ABSTRACT

Switzerland has been criticised for its liberal drug policy. Specifically, the implementation of harm reduction measures, such as drug consumption rooms, needle-exchange services, low-threshold methadone programmes, and heroin-assisted treatments, have been thought to make potential users think that harm will not arise from use of illicit drugs. The Swiss law on narcotics requires registration and evaluation of substitution treatments for opioid dependence. Since 1991 research group has been mandated by the health authorities to operate an anonymised case register of substitution treatments with methadone or buprenorphine. Providers must make anonymised information available at the beginning and at the end of each treatment episode, or at least twice annually. As intended by the Swiss drug policy, identified a rather short duration of untreated heroin misuse. The funding source had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report.