NCJ Number
163350
Date Published
1995
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Since its inception in the early 1970's as a treatment for drug addiction, methadone maintenance has been controversial and medical and the scientific community has voiced differing opinions about optimum treatment modalities.
Abstract
The location of treatment programs has also caused controversy, with communities resisting the establishment of methadone facilities in their neighborhoods. In addition, the Federal role in drug treatment has been debated. Despite controversies, evidence suggests that well-run methadone maintenance programs can significantly improve the social adjustment of patients even though they remain drug-dependent. Nonetheless, the diversion of methadone from many treatment programs is a serious problem and medical examiners report hundreds of deaths yearly involving methadone. Methadone maintenance program data, along with actual case investigations and street intelligence collection, provide convincing evidence that regulatory requirements need to be strengthened and enforced. The role of the Drug Enforcement Administration in safeguarding against methadone diversion and in monitoring compliance with methadone regulatory requirements is discussed. Findings of a study of drug addiction treatment standards conducted by the Institute of Medicine in 1992 are presented. 12 references