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| Swiss vote on prescription heroin | Swiss vote on prescription heroin |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Voters in Switzerland are going to the polls in a series of referendum votes to decide the country's policy on illegal drugs. | Voters in Switzerland are going to the polls in a series of referendum votes to decide the country's policy on illegal drugs. |
| One ballot asks voters to vote on whether to approve heroin prescription as a permanent Swiss health policy. | One ballot asks voters to vote on whether to approve heroin prescription as a permanent Swiss health policy. |
| Opinion polls suggest voters are likely to approve the plan, which would make Switzerland the world's first country to include it in government policy. | Opinion polls suggest voters are likely to approve the plan, which would make Switzerland the world's first country to include it in government policy. |
| But another proposal to decriminalise cannabis is not likely to pass. | But another proposal to decriminalise cannabis is not likely to pass. |
| Switzerland has had an experimental heroin prescription programme for over a decade. | Switzerland has had an experimental heroin prescription programme for over a decade. |
| Supporters say it has had positive results - getting long-term addicts out of Switzerland's once notorious needle parks and reducing drug-related crime. | Supporters say it has had positive results - getting long-term addicts out of Switzerland's once notorious needle parks and reducing drug-related crime. |
| SWISS HEROIN PROGRAMME Running since 1994Used by 1,300 addictsIncludes 23 centres nationwideAlso offers psychiatric counseling href="/1/hi/world/europe/7755664.stm">Radical Swiss plan | |
| Opponents say heroin prescription sends the wrong message to young people and harms the addicts themselves. | Opponents say heroin prescription sends the wrong message to young people and harms the addicts themselves. |
| But polls suggest the Swiss - pleased that their streets are now free of addicts and used syringes - are likely to approve heroin prescription. | But polls suggest the Swiss - pleased that their streets are now free of addicts and used syringes - are likely to approve heroin prescription. |
| On cannabis things are less clear - Swiss police regularly turn a blind to moderate cannabis use. | On cannabis things are less clear - Swiss police regularly turn a blind to moderate cannabis use. |
| But recent studies suggesting that long term use of the drug may be more harmful than previously thought look likely to encourage a "no" to decriminalisation. | But recent studies suggesting that long term use of the drug may be more harmful than previously thought look likely to encourage a "no" to decriminalisation. |