The adrenalin kick plus the natural opiates form an unbeatable combination for thrill-seekers.

ECONOMIST: Chilies

This blocks the receptors and prevents the body from responding to opiates.

ECONOMIST: Drug-resistant infections

It is often argued that the distinction between curing and killing is blurred in any case: doctors frequently prescribe increasing doses of opiates which, as well as relieving pain, will advance the death of a patient.

ECONOMIST: The right to choose to die