Addicts should be prescribed hard drugs, a police chief said, in a call for radical new approaches to tackle the problem.
Chief constable of Tayside Police John Vine said enforcement measures alone were not enough to win the war against drug-related crime.
He said it was time to consider what were previously deemed "socially unacceptable" measures, including the prescription of Class A drugs for addicts.
Mr Vine also called for the setting up of more drug courts in which addicts were offered detailed drug treatment orders rather than custodial sentences.
"The time is right for us to debate what has been seen in the past as socially unacceptable options," he said.
"If we do not reduce demand (for drugs) there will always be people coming in with more to supply.
"I am suggesting that we could have a pilot in my area of prescribing Class A substances to chaotic users."
Mr Vine's views coincide with the publication of the force's annual report, which reveals heroin seizures in Tayside have tripled over the last year.
Mr Vine said his own force could continue to produce good figures, but stressed this would be a short-term measure.
He added that if demand for drugs were reduced it would help police enforce the law.
