The non-injecting use of heroin in Australia was first reported in the 1990s and appears to have increased in prevalence with a recent study reporting that 9 percent of those entering treatment for heroin use used non-injecting routes of administration. The dependence potential of non-injecting routes of administration has been documented. On the basis of the Australian Treatment Outcome Study, it was concluded that any attempts to encourage route transition as a means of reducing drug-related harm must be viewed in the light of the harms associated with heroin smoking. This study, conducted in 2002, compared the treatment outcomes of baseline injecting (IHU) (n = 394) and non-injecting heroin users (NIHU) (n = 48) at 12 months post-treatment entrance. The study specifically examined the stability of the route of heroin administration, compared the treatment retention and exposure among the IHU and the NIHU, and compared treatment outcomes of IHU and NIHU users. Two major findings emerged from the study: (1) route of heroin administration remained stable over the 12-month follow-up period and (2) there were no major clinical differences between injectors and non-injectors in any of the treatment outcome domains examined. The routes of administration indicate that heroin smoking can result in problems severe enough for users to seek treatment. References