Samuel Taylor Coleridge had an opium addiction too. We should legalize drugs and help people who get addicted, not just ban substances that some people use responsibly.
Yes, there is. Is it the norm? Not at all, but that doesn't change the fact that some people do use heroin in moderation and without it drastically impacting their lives.
This polarized look at heroin use further stigmatizes drug users and leads to those with problems (and casual users who are having trouble not letting it get out of hand) not getting the help they deserve.
Playing russian roulette isn't responsible just because you don't get shot. There are many people who use it in moderation... until they don't. Until they make one too many "bit more won't hurt" type decisions. Or they lose their job or a family member dies or they just have a shitty day.
"responsible heroin use" is probably the stupidest phrase I've heard all day, and I've been watching CNN.
EDIT: And, by the way, calling a spade a spade and naming heroin as the scourge it is is not stigmatizing users.
I thought most overdoses are the result of variable potency which is the result of the prohibition. Are you saying that accidental overdose would be a significant danger for addicts if they had a reliable supply of predictable potency? If that is what you're saying, do you have any evidence to support that?
I do agree that easy access to powerful opiates is a recipe for disaster for people at risk for suicide. And I concede that the danger of a negative feedback loop is obvious.
That's like asking, "Does that mean you don't believe in responsible knife juggling?" One is going to kill you a lot more surely and quickly than the other, but neither is a good idea.
To say heroin and alcohol/tobacco are equivalent would be stupid. To say an addition to heroin has no similarities to an addition to alcohol/tobacco would also be stupid.
With heroin you should still legalize possession, just not sale. Instead do what they do in Switzerland and the Netherlands: Have safe injection sites where the government gives you free heroin. Those who are diagnosed with addiction can come once a day and get a dose of heroin under medical supervision. The clinics often help find jobs for the unemployed as well, further helping them with their addiction. Typically once someone gets their life back together they'll be able to quit.