title: The ethics of experimental heroin maintenance.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Australian National University, Canberra.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ostini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bammer
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Dance
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Goodin
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003219:Confidentiality; D035061:Control Groups; D026689:Ethical Analysis; D028663:Ethical Theory; D026822:Ethicists; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006291:Health Policy; D003932:Heroin; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007258:Informed Consent; D018579:Patient Selection; D035842:Research Subjects; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D003932:Heroin