ABSTRACT
The international effort to control its spread has not been successful, in spite of temporary triumphs. Many good people have done their best, but fingers in the dyke have not been enough. It is a reasonable guess that before long heroin control will form a footnote in history, like previous efforts to check the spread of coffee and alcohol. This is no cause for celebration, but perhaps when this failure is recognised the huge amount of money spent on the effort can be diverted to more worthwhile tasks. These would include promoting abstinence, encouraging moderate use for those who can’t abstain and treating the severely dependent.
