Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's often used inappropriately, which is one reason to use less of it and use other better alternative. It's a significant cause of death in suicide so that's another reason to use less of it. It accounts for a lot of accidental death, so that's yet another reason to use less of it.
Right, that's the moralistic part. However, physiologically it remains an actual treatment path. How are opiates a significant cause of suicide? How do they compare to the antidepressants I see advertised on TV that mention an increased likelihood of suicidal thoughts? There are actual people with actual suffering involved here, remember that. Don't let your misconceptions of junkies determine public heath policy.
The first is the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness http://www.bbmh.manchester.ac.uk/cmhs/research/centreforsuic...
The second are the Office for National Statistics mortality data. Here's deaths: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdea...
And here's suicide: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdea...
(Watch out. They count slightly different things. But they should both be clear enough about what they're counting).
Here's a map showing medications that are prescribed across England. You can noodle around with the data to see what's prescribed or not, and how much, and by what doctors offices: https://openprescribing.net/