Is the policy of giving methadone to drug addicts a good one? Methadone Maintenance Treatment is a very controversial topic that arises many opinions about the program. Some people believe that Methadone treatment is a good thing and that it does truly help addicts get over their addictions, while others are against the use of Methadone as treatment because they believe that it is not very successful and a waste of money. I personally am against the use of methadone because it does not stop addicts from continuing to use drugs while undergoing methadone treatment and lacks evidence of actually working a significant amount of the time. Firstly, I am going to explain what methadone treatment is. Secondly, I am going to look at the effects of
…show more content…
Methadone Maintenance Treatment is the use of Methadone administered over a long period of time as treatment for someone who is addicted to opioids such as heroin. Methadone is used as an alternative to other drugs that the patient has an addiction to. Methadone treatment involves making the patient addicted to a synthetic narcotic, methadone, instead of heroin or whatever other drugs the patient may use. Methadone is a very strong drug, making it only require one hit a day for patients to get their fix. Methadone prevents patients from physical withdrawal and also reduces drug cravings. Although methadone treatment can be effective, it does not prevent patients from continuing to use narcotics while undergoing treatment. The success rate of methadone treatment actually fully working in stopping drug addicts from using drugs is not very high. Infact, many critics say that methadone is only successful in controlling the costs of opiate addictions and that methadone treatment does little to help actually recover from the addiction. Many patients require several years of treatment for it to actually help and unfortunately half of the patients in methadone treatment drop out after just two years. Many methadone clinics are low quality and do not offer the best treatment options for their patients. There has been a 300% increase in the amount of methadone related …show more content…
Methadone treatment is funded by the government at taxpayers expense. The medical director of the inner city health program at St.Michaels hospital blames the college of physicians and surgeons of Ontario for over regulating the use of methadone. By treating the narcotic differently from other opiates the college is not only making the stigma worse but also it is turning synthetic opiate into big business for doctors and clinics at taxpayers expense. Physicians bills in 2013 for methadone related treatment topped $107 million. The average cost of opioid drug addiction for one single person is $44,600 per year. Methadone treatment can be substituted for $6000 per year. Ever since the first methadone clinic opened many more clinics are trying to open close by. Many families do not feel safe with so many methadone clinics so close to their homes and children. Many high volume methadone clinics are opening but many of these clinics are low quality. Many arguments weather the large amount of clinics was to give addicts the best treatment or to give taxpayers the best value. It is believed that some doctors fight for patients in rivalry clinics to try and make the most money. It is also believed that some doctors over charge patients for
Methadone Maintenance Treatment is the use of Methadone administered over a long period of time as treatment for someone who is addicted to opioids such as heroin. Methadone is used as an alternative to other drugs that the patient has an addiction to. Methadone treatment involves making the patient addicted to a synthetic narcotic, methadone, instead of heroin or whatever other drugs the patient may use. Methadone is a very strong drug, making it only require one hit a day for patients to get their fix. Methadone prevents patients from physical withdrawal and also reduces drug cravings. Although methadone treatment can be effective, it does not prevent patients from continuing to use narcotics while undergoing treatment. The success rate of methadone treatment actually fully working in stopping drug addicts from using drugs is not very high. Infact, many critics say that methadone is only successful in controlling the costs of opiate addictions and that methadone treatment does little to help actually recover from the addiction. Many patients require several years of treatment for it to actually help and unfortunately half of the patients in methadone treatment drop out after just two years. Many methadone clinics are low quality and do not offer the best treatment options for their patients. There has been a 300% increase in the amount of methadone related …show more content…
Methadone treatment is funded by the government at taxpayers expense. The medical director of the inner city health program at St.Michaels hospital blames the college of physicians and surgeons of Ontario for over regulating the use of methadone. By treating the narcotic differently from other opiates the college is not only making the stigma worse but also it is turning synthetic opiate into big business for doctors and clinics at taxpayers expense. Physicians bills in 2013 for methadone related treatment topped $107 million. The average cost of opioid drug addiction for one single person is $44,600 per year. Methadone treatment can be substituted for $6000 per year. Ever since the first methadone clinic opened many more clinics are trying to open close by. Many families do not feel safe with so many methadone clinics so close to their homes and children. Many high volume methadone clinics are opening but many of these clinics are low quality. Many arguments weather the large amount of clinics was to give addicts the best treatment or to give taxpayers the best value. It is believed that some doctors fight for patients in rivalry clinics to try and make the most money. It is also believed that some doctors over charge patients for