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Wednesday, March 19, 2003 Page: 7A
Kudos to Robert E. Griffin for making the case for methadone. Methadone
maintenance has been proven to reduce drug use and related crime, death and
disease among chronic heroin users. It’s also a viable treatment for addiction
to prescription painkillers like OxyContin. Contrary to popular opinion,
methadone staves off debilitating withdrawal symptoms, but does not produce a
high that prevents patients from living productive lives.
The tough-on-drugs alternative to harm reduction interventions like
methadone is a very real threat to public health and safety. Addicts would not
be sharing needles if not for zero-tolerance laws that restrict access to
clean syringes, nor would they be committing crimes to support their habits if
not for artificially inflated black-market prices. Whether we like it or not,
both drug use and drug laws are here to stay. It only makes sense to try and
minimize the harm associated with both.
Robert Sharpe, M.P.A.
Program Officer
Drug Policy Alliance
Washington, D.C.