This article was published in The Sunday Post on March 14th, 2021. It mentions our film The Final Fix, directed by Norman Stone, that is about an alternative addiction treatment called NED.
Scotland’s Drugs Minister Angela Constance has signaled that funding could be made available to study a controversial treatment which supporters say saves heroin users from distressing detox symptoms.
Constance has told supporters of Neuro Electric Therapy (NET) that funds could be available for a pilot study.
The treatment uses low-level electronic pulses delivered from electrodes placed behind the ears to suppress the side-effects of coming off heroin addiction.
In a letter to the treatment programme’s Scottish boss, Owen Fielding, she said: “It is very interesting to hear about the work that you and your organisation are doing and your plans regarding further research on NET internationally and in Scotland.
“There is a need for further randomised control trials into NET’s efficacy which would take into consideration longer-term outcomes and make use of appropriate control groups. There may be funding available for a similar trial to be carried out in Scotland via the Chief Scientist Office (CSO).
“CSO has reviewed its grant schemes and is now providing a number of different funding steams to directly support research in Scotland.”
Jardine Simpson, who heads the Scottish Recovery Consortium and is an official observer on Scotland’s Drug Death Task Force, said: “This shows Angela Constance is willing to listen to those of us with lived experience.
“I applaud her having an open mind and looking at different solutions to tackle the crisis we’re in.
“I spent some time researching NET and watching the documentary The Final Fix and I was deeply impressed by what I saw.
Continue reading the full article at the Sunday Post
Tags: news