XPost: uk.politics.drugs, uk.legal   
   From: bliss@sfo.com   
      
   Dr John Watson wrote:   
   > Noticed at Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:49:47 +0100: R. Mark Clayton informed us:   
   >   
   >> BTW John, what is the life expectancy of a heroin subsequent to addiction?   
   >   
   > I don't know, but as heroin isn't particularly damaging to the body, apart   
   > from constipation and addiction, I wouldn't think life expectancy when   
   > clean to be affected.   
   >   
   	Ideally it should not but many things beside prohibition fall   
   short of ideal.  If the heroin is IV the repeated puncture of the   
   veins is open to infections and systemic inflammation.  If a shunt   
   is installed the infection possibility goes up even if supervised   
   by educated people.  Despite that many addicts get old,  The first   
   one I remember coming out was Alexander King on the Jack Paar show   
   a long time ago before Johnny Carson and after Steve Allan.  He was   
   I believe in his 70s at that point.  He wasn't the only one but   
   sadly the HIV-AIDS virus cut short the lives of many IV addicts.   
      
   	later   
   	bliss   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)