Just as former Jamaican prison doctor Raymoth Notice made public his suggestion that prisoners be allowed to use small amounts of ganja for relaxation, a senior police officer in Britain proposed that heroin be prescribed to a greater number of addicts in that country in a bid to reduce crime.

Ken Jones, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), called for the drug to be made available to long-term users, reasoning that this would eliminate their need to commit crimes like robbery to fund their habit.

The British Government announced plans five years ago to broaden an existing scheme which prescribes medical-grade heroin, but the number of addicts on the scheme has remained the same.

Hard core minority

Mr Jones, the former Sussex chief constable, told the Independent newspaper, "You need to understand there is a hard core, a minority, who nevertheless commit masses of crime to feed their addiction. We have to find a way of dealing with them, and licensed prescription is definitely something we should be thinking about."

Diamorphine, which is identical to heroin, but produced under pharmaceutical conditions, was prescribed to about 300 addicts in 2002. A proposal was made to expand this number to 1,500 users. However, this was not done.

Mr Jones added: "I am not in any shape or form a legaliser, but what I am concerned with is that we have to shape up to some tough realities."

A Home Office-funded pilot scheme is currently prescribing diamorphine, injectable methadone and oral methadone to 150 addicts. The results of the pilot project are expected to be published in two years.