mmmeth.GIF (32691 bytes)   "For decades, methadone has been a monolithic entity, prescribed alike for individuals with diverse backgrounds and situations.

 

 

Treatment followed the Henry Ford principal:

you could have whatever methadone treatment colour you wanted provided it was black."
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Harm reduction means different things to different people.

To some, harm reduction is little more than a device to conceal a view that the use of mood-altering substances is potentially life-enhancing and mind- expanding (Strang, 1993).

To others, harm reduction is neither for nor against drug experiences but rather a pragmatic approach taken to minimize the adverse health, social or economic consequences of mood altering substances without necessarily requiring the elimination or reduction of drug consumption (Heather et al,1993).

Injectable methadone prescribing in the United Kingdom - current practice and future policy guidelines
by
Sarfraz A, Alcorn RJ
Stone House Hospital,
Dartford, Kent, UK.
Subst Use Misuse 1999 Oct; 34(12):1709-21
ABSTRACT

Unlike other countries, there is a tradition in the UK to prescribe injectable methadone to opiate addicts as treatment for their addition. Along with injectable heroin prescribing, this approach has been labeled as the "British System." It has caused controversy at home and abroad, and provided a hot topic for debate among its advocates and critics since 1926. Over the years, intravenous opiate misuse has increased globally due to diverse social, psychological, and political reasons. The UK has also reflected similar, if not adverse, trends nationally. Following an increase in the number of intravenous opiate misusers, a growing minority of them is being prescribed injectable methadone as treatment. In the absence of comprehensive guidelines or policy from the Home Office and the Department of Health, this practice has serious practical, ethical, and legal implications for the health professionals involved.

What about the punters ?