I was a community pharmacist for 37 years and had regular contacts with addicts who came in for their methadone prescriptions. Having read the article about the Mckenzie family, (The Argus, August 21), these are my comments.

We were taught that heroin addicts are weaned off heroin in hospital using methadone as a replacement.

Methadone was considered less harmful and easier to come off without severe side effects or “cold turkey”. Unfortunately the last part of the cure was, as I found out, rarely achieved.

Addicts would go on taking the same dose of methadone forever and a day. Some would reduce the dose and not tell the clinic.

They built up a reserve supply which could be sold on the black market and the money used to buy more heroin so it was a vicious circle. I believe as much as 50% of prescribed methadone ends up on the streets.

If the Swiss have tried a new approach and succeeded, we need to rethink our procedures. One problem is if addicts are prescribed heroin on the NHS, there would be an enormous temptation to use less and sell the surplus.

However, if the new programme were rolled out nationwide, addicts would no longer buy on the streets and heroin would have no black market value.

I had time to befriend and talk to many of the addicts who came to my pharmacy, most of whom died before their 30th birthday.

I think we should do more to help them rebuild their lives and learn social skills. If you take away the addiction, you must put something back in its place.

This is why schemes to encourage them towards horticulture have had good results.

Bob Bayliss
Wheatsheaf Lane, Cuckfield