heroin addiction

Shannon McCarty in her new apartment in Everett, Wash. Shannon was a meth and heroin user, but is in recovery with the help of a police program that connects people who use drugs with services.

National
Health & Safety

Tired Of Being 'Dope Sick,' A Drug User Gets Help From Police To Get Sober

8:31am May 26, 2019

by Anna Boiko-Weyrauch

"Just continually putting people in jail, that's not doing anything for them," says an Everett, Wash. police officer who connected with one drug user, Shannon McCarty, and helped her get off drugs.

Keri Blakinger spent nearly two years incarcerated on narcotics charges before becoming a criminal justice reporter for the Houston Chronicle.

Health & Safety

From Convict To Criminal Justice Reporter: 'I Was So Lucky To Come Out Of This'

3:56pm December 12, 2018

by Terry Gross

Keri Blakinger spent nearly two years locked up on narcotics charges before becoming a journalist. "I've been so privileged in so many ways to end up with hope and second chances," she says.

Queue Listen Now

In several European countries and Canada, patients with longterm opioid addiction are prescribed pharmaceutical grade heroin which they inject in clinics like the Patrida Medical Clinic in Berlin. Some addiction specialists want to pilot similar programs

Health & Safety

Is America Ready For Prescription Heroin?

9:25am December 06, 2018

by Elana Gordon

In some countries, doctors prescribe medical-grade heroin to patients with long-term addiction. Could it ever happen the U.S.? A new report from RAND Corporation outlines the pros and cons.