From the Straw to the Needle?

The central focus of this article is the spread of heroin smoking in the Netherlands. Globally, injecting heroin users are outnumbered by those who ingest this drug by method of smoking or, more correctly, inhalation. It is argued that heroin adminstration patterns are determined by an interaction of primarily economic and socio-cultural factors, which are moderated by drug policy and enforcement. A theoretical diffusion model of the spread of this social phenomena is developed utilizing data from the Netherlands. Utilizing the concept of diffusion, other large scale transitions in route of administration of opiates that have occurred in the USA and in England will briefly be discussed. The article concludes with an assessment of future developments.