NCJ Number
197069
Date Published
April 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This document attempts to educate practitioners about the efficacy of medication assisted treatment for opiate dependent offenders.
Abstract
There were over 977,000 heroin dependent individuals in the United States in the year 2000. There has been an increasing trend in new heroin use since 1991. A significant proportion of these recent new users were smoking, snorting, or sniffing heroin. Most of these new users were under the age of 26. The national average for heroin purity has remained relatively stable since 1992. Methadone is the most widely studied medication and treatment for any disease in the world. Methadone, used to treat opioid dependence for 35 years, is contingent upon individual patient needs. Methadone medication is not a substitute for heroin and does not affect the individual in any similar way. It is believed to be the most effective method available for treating heroin addiction. Also, a significant number of oxycontin dependent individuals are treated rather successfully with methadone, in addition to counseling and other medical services. Accreditation oversight will enhance the consistency and quality of treatment services. It is expected to end the debate about the quality of care offered in publicly funded versus privately financed treatment programs since all programs will be accredited through the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). A number of people are critical of methadone treatment because the medication has its own dependence producing qualities. But there is nothing else at the present time that is able to perform as methadone maintenance treatment does in normalizing brain function without having some dependency-producing characteristics. Methadone patients should not be required to withdraw from medication that improves their quality of life. 4 references