by PATRICK LEJTENYI

Ten months ago, the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI) started recruiting heroin addicts in Montreal for a new and controversial project. The clinical study’s goal was examining the effects three daily, supervised and free doses of the drug would have on the addicts’ lifestyle. If junkies could get their smack for free, would that let them live more productive lives, without having to steal or turn tricks to support their habit? Recruitment in Montreal began in June, a few months after the Vancouver study (a Toronto study was originally included but cancelled due to delays in finding an appropriate clinical site), amid some controversy and media excitement.

The study called for 470 nation-wide participants, with 50 per cent given heroin, 45 per cent given methadone and five per cent given dilaudid, a painkilling opiate. A year ago, representatives from the NAOMI study told the Mirror they were confident they wouldn’t have a problem finding volunteers. But it turns out they did.

“Recruitment is slower than expected,” says Dr. Suzanne Brissette, of St-Luc hospital’s drug rehabilitation unit and the NAOMI Montreal director. Less than half the required patients have been recruited to date.

The problem, Brissette says, is the nature of the study. Because it’s a scientific study, the guidelines for availability are sufficiently narrow to exclude about two-thirds of applicants. “We have to say no a lot because many volunteers don’t fit the inclusion criteria,” she says. “It’s the price we have to pay,” she says.

To be eligible, potential NAOMI clients must have a history of addiction and a history of trying to quit. Recruitment often works through referrals from needle-exchange organizations, but Brissette says word of mouth works as well. The problem is, it might work too well.

She says it is difficult for the researchers involved to turn potential clients away, but they have to in order to maintain the strict scientific criteria. Being turned down can have a significant negative psychological impact on an addict, but she is also wary of giving out too much information on what is required because potential volunteers “might try to change their story if they figure out what answers to give.”

The Vancouver study is having more recruiting success, she says, for at least two reasons. First, there are more heroin addicts in Vancouver than in Montreal. While the numbers aren’t exact, it’s estimated there are up to 10,000 addicts in Vancouver, twice that of Montreal. Second, many of them are confined to the Downtown Eastside, while Montreal’s population is scattered across the island and the North and South Shores. “Recruitment is easier when the population targetted is living within one square mile,” she says.

Nevertheless, says Brissette, there should be enough here to fill the requirements eventually. Another encouraging sign is the behaviour of NAOMI clients once they’ve been accepted. None have been arrested for loitering or criminal or disruptive behaviour, which is a bonus considering NAOMI operates out of the Centre Dollard-Cormier on Prince Arthur and St-Urbain.

“We didn’t expect anything bad to happen, and I’m glad to confirm nothing bad did happen,” she says.