A pilot program in Brighton and Hove, England will distribute free heroin to addicts in a bid to cut crime and addiction, The Argus reported Nov. 25.

The U.K.'s National Health Service is sponsoring the program, which would cost between $20,000 and $30,000 per user annually. Addicts would be allowed to inject themselves with government-provided heroin under supervision, similar to a "safe-injection" site established in Vancouver, Canada. They also would receive doses of methadone to take home with them at night.

Outcomes among the addicts taking part in the program will be compared to those of 10 patients receiving methadone only.

"We will be looking at people who have had difficulty benefiting from the mainstream treatments. We will be looking at dealing with people who don't respond well to heroin substitutes and being in hospital," said Chris Hughes, substance-misuse services manager at the Sussex Partnership NHS Trust, who will run the program. "A lot of people won't come forward for methadone treatment. If this trial is successful it will have all-round benefits for everyone."

However, Peter Stoker of the U.K.'s National Drug Prevention Alliance criticized the program. "It is perpetuating dependency," he said. "Abstinence should be their goal, not continuance. There needs to be a plan on how to give up, not how to keep on using."

Rich Cook, a recovering heroin addict who runs a recovery group in Brighton, said his main concern is what happens when the pilot program ends. "The downside would be the aftercare. Will people be supported after the trial ends? I have been assured they will be supported but it is a concern the trial would just stop."