The ethics of experimental heroin maintenance

In response to widespread concern about illegal drug use and the associated risk of the spread of HIV/AIDS, a study was undertaken to examine whether it was, in principle, feasible to conduct a trial providing heroin to dependent users in a controlled manner. Such a trial involves real ethical issue...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical ethics 1993-09, Vol.19 (3), p.175-182
Main Authors: Ostini, R, Bammer, G, Dance, P R, Goodin, R E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Australia
Bioethics
Clinical Trials as Topic
Confidentiality
Control Groups
Distributive justice
Drug abusers
Drug addicts
Ethical Analysis
Ethical Theory
Ethicists
Ethics, Medical
Experimentation
Feasibility Studies
Health Policy
Heroin
Heroin dependence
Humans
Illicit drugs
Informed Consent
Patient Selection
Political ethics
Research ethics
Research Subjects
Risk Assessment
Social ethics
Street Drugs
Trials
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Summary:In response to widespread concern about illegal drug use and the associated risk of the spread of HIV/AIDS, a study was undertaken to examine whether it was, in principle, feasible to conduct a trial providing heroin to dependent users in a controlled manner. Such a trial involves real ethical issues which are examined in this paper. The general issues examined are: should a trial be an experiment or an exercise in public policy?; acts and omissions; countermobilization; termination of a trial, and payment for drugs and for a trial. The specific issues examined are: selection of trial participants; privacy; issues for staff working on a trial; coupling the trial with other treatment, and issues for researchers. A number of alternative approaches to the various ethical issues are presented and discussed.
ISSN:0306-6800
1473-4257
DOI:10.1136/jme.19.3.175