Heroin handout scheme extended

The Hague - The Dutch health ministry said yesterday it would extend an experiment to distribute free heroin to hard-core drug…

The Hague - The Dutch health ministry said yesterday it would extend an experiment to distribute free heroin to hard-core drug addicts after a three-month pilot scheme proved a success.

"During the first phase there were no serious, undesired side-effects in terms of public order, criminality and medical safe ty," the health ministry said in a statement.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter