Presenting a comprehensive account of the development of policies and treatments, Heroin Addiction brings together the perspectives of policy makers, practitioners and social commentators.

At an Espanola (New Mexico) hearing, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies of the Senate Committee on Appropriations heard testimony on heroin addiction and intervention efforts in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. An opening statement of Senator Pete Domenici outlined the problem of an epidemic of black tar heroin addiction afflicting the county, with accompanying crime and delinquency problems. A representative of the federal Office of Justice Programs (OJP) described relevant OJP initiatives, particularly Weed and Seed, which provides funding for community law enforcement, drug treatment programs, and after-school youth activities aimed at drug and delinquency prevention. Other federal officials discussed block grants and state incentive grants for drug prevention and treatment programs, the Starting Early Starting Smart program for children aged 0-7, physical and mental health problems related to drug abuse, the science of heroin addiction and treatment, and science-based drug education materials for grades 5-9. Representatives of state and local agencies discussed substance abuse-related detention costs; substance abuse, mental health, and related medical costs for local prisoners; the Rio Arriba Strategic Plan for Substance and Alcohol Abuse and Treatment; the rationale for a county-wide plan; current substance abuse reduction activities in the county; youth development as primary prevention; the high rates of drug-related death in New Mexico; the special problems of isolated rural communities; and a drug treatment program based on yoga, meditation, and nutrition. (SV)

Focusing on the world of Norwegian Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) in the aftermath of significant reforms, this book casts a critical light on the intersections between medicine and law, and the ideologies infusing the notions of "individual choice" and "patient involvement" in the field of addiction globally. With ethnographic attention to the encounters between patients, clinicians, and bureaucrats, the volume shows that OST sustains the realities it is meant to address. The chapters follow one particular patient through complex clinical and legal battles as they fight to achieve a better quality of life. The study provides ethnographic insight that captures the individual, experiential aspects of addiction treatment, and how these experiences find a register within different domains of treatment and policy, including the familial, social, legal, and clinical. Offering a rare view of addiction treatment in a Scandinavian welfare state, this book will be of interest to scholars of medical and legal anthropology and sociology, and others with an interest in drug policy and addiction treatment.

This groundbreaking book provides scholars and students in the areas of criminology, criminal justice, sociology, substance abuse and women’s studies with in-depth analysis of 131 female heroin users’ drug use careers in China. The book has important policy implications for both China and the international society in the context of increasing global concern about women’s substance abuse.

Heroin addiction, a relentless and destructive force, has cast its shadow over countless lives, leaving a trail of despair, shattered dreams, and broken communities in its wake. This book, Breaking the Chain of Addiction, seeks to illuminate the harrowing reality of heroin addiction, while offering a glimmer of hope to those ensnared by its grasp. In the quiet corners of our towns and cities, behind closed doors and beneath the surface of society, a silent epidemic rages on. Heroin addiction, once thought to be confined to the margins of society, now knows no boundaries. It creeps into the lives of the young and old, the rich and poor, and the educated and uneducated alike. It thrives in secrecy, feeding on despair and isolation, while its impact reverberates throughout our communities. The statistics surrounding heroin addiction are nothing short of alarming. In recent years, the number of individuals falling prey to this formidable adversary has surged at an unprecedented rate. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in [insert year], an estimated [insert number] million people in the United States alone reported using heroin in the past year. This alarming figure represents not just a statistic but a human tragedy of unimaginable proportions.