I.E. Hawksworth

In the following viewpoint, originally published as a letter addressed to the editor of the Abbotsford Times, I.E. Hawks- worth, a former addict who works with heroin addicts in prison, argues that methadone is not the answer to the problem of heroin addiction. Many on the methadone program, which administers methadone to addicts in order to eliminate their craving for heroin, continue to use heroin, he claims. He also contends that many addicts abuse the methadone program by doing whatever it takes, including submitting other people’s urine for testing, to get enough methadone to induce a high. Rather than support a system that promotes addiction, Hawksworth maintains, money should be spent on programs that build an addict’s self-worth.

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