In the first of a two-part series, Nick Davies argues that the disease and moral collapse associated with class A drugs is due to criminalisation, not the drugs themselves

1. Make heroin legal
In the first of a two-part series, Nick Davies argues that the disease and moral
collapse associated with class A drugs is due to criminalisation, not the drugs
themselves
Special report: drugs in Britain
Thursday June 14, 2001
The Guardian
On April 3 1924, a group of American congressmen held an official hearing to
consider the future of heroin. They took sworn evidence from experts,
including the US surgeon general, Rupert Blue, who appeared in person to tell
their committee that heroin was poisonous and caused insanity and that it was
particularly likely to kill since its toxic dose was only slightly greater than its
therapeutic dose.
They heard, too, from specialist doctors, such as Alexander Lambert of New
York's Bellevue hospital, who explained that the herd instinct is obliterated by
heroin, and the herd instincts are the ones which control the moral sense ...
Heroin makes much quicker the muscular reaction and therefore is used by
criminals to inf