DATE:
Dear (Elected Official)
Stigma, misinformation and myths are the reasons Methadone Maintenance Treatment faces opposition in many communities. Methadone Maintenance Treatment is the gold standard of opiate addiction treatment according to medical professionals throughout the world. The AMA (American Medical Association) and all other U.S. medical professional organizations support Methadone Maintenance Treatment.
West Virginia Delegate Marshall Long, D-Mercer is introducing a bill this legislative session to regulate methadone. He has stated that he wishes to base these new unnecessary regulations on the regulations of surrounding states. Ohio has been mentioned specifically. Ohio Opiate Treatment Programs provide some of the worst treatment in the country, mainly due to that state’s Opiate Treatment Program Regulations.
Long also said that West Virginia’s nonprofit mental health centers should run the clinics, rather than out-of-state corporations. This comes at a time when several states have eliminated Methadone Maintenance Treatment from their state-operated programs due to budget contraints.
In 2001, oversight of U.S. Opiate Treatment Programs went from the FDA to CSAT (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment), a department of SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). One of the major changes made by CSAT, to bring uniformity to clinic regulation and policy, was the creation of Accreditation Guidelines, based on Best Treatment Practices developed by experts in the addiction field. The new regulations require all methadone maintenance programs to be accredited by an outside accreditation agency. The agencies SAMHSA has approved for program accreditation are JCAHO, CARF and COA. Opiate Treatment Programs must be accredited by one of the approved agencies and comply with federal regulations. Clinic accreditation ensures that clinics comply with best treatment practices and provide quality treatment to patients. This life-saving treatment does not need another layer of regulation. It will add to the expense of the treatment and burden treatment professionals with additional paperwork.
The top substance abuse professionals in the U.S. developed best treatment practices on which Accreditation Guidelines and Federal Regulations are based. Who is going to develop regulations for the State of West Virginia?
Some states have seen an increase in the number of methadone-related overdoses recently. Investigations have shown that most of the methadone involved in overdose deaths came from patients that were receiving the medication for pain treatment. Due to the bad press about OxyContin, many physicians stopped prescribing OxyContin, prescribing methadone instead. Methadone is effective as a pain medication and is also considerably less expensive than OxyContin. Methadone dispensed at Opiate Treatment Programs comes in liquid form of in wafers. Methadone prescribed for the treatment of pain is usually prescribed as 10 mgs. pills.
Please take the time to learn the facts about Methadone Maintenance Treatment before making a decision about this life-saving treatment. The following federal government websites contain fact-filled information:
NIH Consensus Statement: http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus/cons/108/108_statement.htm
SAMHSA: http://dpt.samhsa.gov/treatment.htm
Thank your for your time and consideration.
Sincerely
(Your Name)