SUBSTITUTION AS A POSSIBILITY TO TREAT PA TIENTS DEPENDENT ON OPIATES

The treatment of patients who are dependent on opiates has definitely been including drug substitution besides withdrawel and weaning in the Swiss urban community (''Kanton'') of Basel City since 1980. After a significant increase of treatments in 1987 in connection with the spre ad of HIV infections, more than 800 patients were presently receiving substitution treatment according to a descentralised schedule. The typ e of long-term treatment is illustrated by sociodemographic and treatm ent data of 500 substituted individuals who are mostly being looked af ter always by the same persons entrusted with caring for them. This re presents a flexible, economically feasible and highly individual type of care and treatment that can help to reduce illegal drug consumption and hence the undesirable events associated with it in an urban distr ict such as Basel city.