Shots Across The Bow

I'm writing in reference to an article that I read that starts off:

should we really be paying for this? Just went through a training course on drugs & drug trafficking --blah, blah It was interesting to get perspective of the narcotics officer who gave the lecture & compare it o the article. and it went on an on and ended: The METHADONE TREATMENT
is funded through TennCare.

I don't know who wrote this article but it would be nice if they knew what the hell they were talking about. There is not one correct bit of info that is true fact! There is so much stigma around methadone yet it works for opiate addiction along with addictictions to cocaine. You may get other leters and e-mail's from other patients through out the U.S. This is criminal to let someone write an article such as this.

Thank you for listening
Jan Panissidi
ARM Director
Methadone Advocate
State of Maine
State of Maine

Posted by: Jan Panissidi on June 6, 2003 8:23 AM

Jan, I wrote the post based on information from a drug lecture I attended given by a member of the local police force. The info on the street sale of clinical methadone came directly from him.

A quick google search on methadone, shows that clinical methadone does reach the streets. Here's a link to a story from Portland, detailing the problem:

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n168/a11.html?186

Quoting:
"In Maine, however, and to a lesser degree in a few other states, the authorities say much of the methadone has been the liquid form used in drug clinics and spread, in some cases, by clinic patients. Many clinics across the country, following federal guidelines designed to make methadone treatment more accessible, have stopped requiring patients to take all their daily doses at the clinic, and instead are allowing them to take home doses of methadone once a week or more.

In Chicago, 'kids are now coming from suburbia and they're buying methadone on the street,' said Dr. Ernest C. Rose, a specialist in drug addiction who works for several methadone clinics there.

'In the inner city, you can get 80 milligrams of methadone for $20 to $30, which is a lot cheaper than a heroin habit would be. We do see a lot of methadone getting diverted out here on the street from the clinic, and we have to watch our clients very carefully because it's a secondary source of income for a lot of them.'"

Apparently there is a significant proplem with methadone abuse, and the clinics are a significant source for the drug.

TennCare, Tennessee's public healthcare system does cover methadone maintenance.

In short, my facts are correct and easily verifiable. TennCare pays for methadone treatments that are making their way to the streets, where they are being sold illegally, so addicts can continue to use.

The reason article I was referring to is now available online here:
http://www.reason.com/0306/fe.js.h.shtml.

As a libertarian, I support legalization of drugs, with the provision that no government funds be spent on dealing with the resulting addictions, other than funds generated through taxation of the sale of the drugs. While addiction may be a disease, drug use is a choice, which brings consequences to the user.

Thanks for commenting.

Posted by: rich on June 6, 2003 11:39 AM

I appreciate the fact that officers are being educated about methadone. I have been on methadone for several years now and I have never ever thought of selling or giving my medication to anyone. All of the patients that I know are living clean and trying to do the right thing. If there are people selling their medication it is the law enforcements job to find out who's doing it and prosecute them, not verbally attacking Tenncare or the patients that are being assisted in paying for their medication. I guarantee you if anyone is doing anything wrong in defrauding Tenncare or their "Narcotic Replacement Therapy Clinic" then they will surely be found out. Also, Tenncare doesn't just give free reign with helping pay for the medication or treatment. You have to be able to substantiate your claim with documents that back up your claim and you just can't walk in and get Tenncare help, you would've had to have relapsed several times or have cocomitant disorders plus pages and pages of documents showing the facts of your addiction. Please, just everyone be careful what they say about this type of treatment and be mindful that it is helping an overwhelming majority of people who's life would have been ruined forever without it. There is no shame in methadone treatment, just in the people who say things about it without stating all of the facts. There is always something else out there to be learned everyday whether it be positive or negative and if we make any claims publicly on the world wide web we all need to make sure that we give the whole story and not just bits and pieces of it pulled out from here and there to make the story sound good.

Southeastern Advocate's Division

Posted by: Mark T> on December 2, 2003 9:19 PM

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