Heroin, often viewed as the "hardest drug," looms large in the popular consciousness. Heroin addiction in Britain first began to cause concern during the 1920s, yet while one group of doctors regarded the addiction as a disease which required treatment, other physicians viewed it as a vice which demanded strict control. The medical community and the government have debated both the definition of addiction—medical condition, moral failing or social problem—and the method of dealing with addiction—medical treatment vs. legal controls.