NYC Health Department Guide on How to Shoot Up Heroin Comes Under Fire

A guide detailing exactly how to inject heroin properly was recently made available by none other than the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Not surprisingly, controversy broke out among city officials, particularly by those who felt that heroin users didn't need additional information about how to prepare needles and inject the drug -- especially in the form of a guidebook printed by the government.

The info, contained in a mini book or guidebook called Take Charge, Take Care, was allegedly printed by NYC.gov's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The focus? Helping heroin users avoid health issues and potential inflammation, infection or other problems. If instructions in the guide were followed carefully, it could possibly save lives and prevent the spread of HIV and others dangers associated with sharing needles, etc. So why all the controversy?

How to Inject Heroin Guide - a Case of Too Much Honesty or Too Much Cost?

The book, Take Charge Take Care could be seen at the NYC.gov website, in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene subsection. For those who think the 16 page mini book provides too much information about how to clean needles (with bleach) and inject heroin properly, others could point out that the first pages urge readers to get help and to stop drug use (along with a 24 hour contact number). That certainly doesn't seem to be promoting drug use. But there also seems to be an acceptance of the fact that a certain number of heroin users are going to keep using the drug. Just acknowledging that reality seems too honest for some.

An official with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Division), John Gilbride, has allegedly disparaged the guide, unhappy about a manual that provides information on how to inject a "poison". He finds it unsettling and he isn't alone. But one could make a case that the guide doesn't seem to be advocating heroin use.

Among the 10 Steps listed are suggestions for getting help for depression and asking for help to stop using. Still, there is also advice for those who are still using, including tips on how to prepare the drugs and suggestions to use heroin with another person rather than by oneself. Depending on one's take, this might be seen as encouragement to keep using heroin.

Bottom line? Yes, the booklet is indeed a guide to injecting heroin but also provides information for getting help and becoming drug free. Admittedly, I wouldn't feel happy seeing the guide pop up in my home nor know that someone I loved might be using heroin. It would be disturbing to face that reality. But (hopefully) the information on how to inject heroin is aimed at those who are already using the drug heavily and wasn't distributed to random members of the New York community, making the most of the time and energy spent producing the guidebook.

Cost of NYC.gov Guide on How to Inject Heroin - Another Negative Factor?

With at least 70,000 copies printed and distributed, the dollars spent allegedly added up to $32,000. Some think that is a waste of money . How many heroin users would be likely to read the book, follow the instructions, and stop sharing needles or reusing them? Would the costs of printing all those copies result in greater good for the whole community? Could the dollars have been spent more wisely by going directly to drug treatment programs or one on one counseling for drug users? These are the kinds of questions that come to mind when money is spent these days and every dollar seems to count. But if 70,00 people have access to the information in the book and pay heed to using heroin as safely as possible (as odd as that sounds) perhaps more good than harm can come out of such a guidebook.

Sources:

NYC Publishes Heroin Guide Book, CBS News, Jan 4, here with link to Take Charge Take Care manual
Drug Investigator Calls NYC-Funded Guidebook a Step-by-Step How To Manual For Heroin Users, NY Post and Los Angeles Times, Jan 4. here