methadone

Methadone maintenance treatment decreases reoffending

A recent study in how methadone can be a useful tool in preventing re-offending and prisoner death rates has been released by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. The 10 year long study involved 375 male heroin using prisoners from New South Wales prisons. The study found that those on methadone were 20% less likely to re-offend compared to those not on methadone substitution.

Irina Abdyusheva Teplinskaya investigated

Irina Abdyusheva (Teplinskaya), who was taking the Russian Government to court to force them to allow her and many other Russian's access to methadone appears to have been the victim of drugs being planted on her.

On returning from drug treatment in Ukraine, she was stopped and 'found' to have some methadone in her possession.

You can read her statement below.

We will keep you informed of how you can support her.

Russian HIV activist has been planted drugs in Kaliningrad airport

It finally happened – the thing I have been afraid the most of all since I got involved in a legal battle against Russia. As you may remember in February, 2011 I sent a request to the Ministry of Health on a possibility to provide me with the opioid substitution treatment (OST). They refused, as the OST with methadone is prohibited by Russian law. Then I sued them in my district court with references to Constitution of the Russian Federation and International Law.

Harm Reduction in Ukraine

After the Orange Revolution in 2004 Ukraine won praise for adopting a drug substitution programs. Previously many ex-soviet states had opted against substitution programs with Russia leading the way claiming that it merely means the substituting of one drug for another. This has led to rampant rates of HIV with some sources saying that as much as 2% of the Russian population may have HIV many of which have got it from non-sterile needles. Some even say that up to 65% of those in Russia with HIV may have gotten it from sharing needles.

Prescription Drugged Driving

Can drugged driving on benzodiazepines or opioids be safe? Benzodiazepines and opioids are two classes of drugs heavily used recreationally and prescribed. The effects of both substances are varied but both are extremely addictive, leading to many people having physical dependencies on them. Benzodiazepines are too varied and understudied to have a conclusive law regarding their use driving, but it is apparent that many dangers exist. This has led to tens of thousands of deaths through lack of knowledge and their abuse.

The Politics of Methadone

In recent times there has been something of a step-change in the UK Government’s attitude to the use of methadone in the treatment of heroin addiction. The result has been a new emphasis on ‘recovery’, with the term being used to convey the transition to a completely ‘drug-free’ lifestyle. Many drug services in the UK are now pressurizing their clients to reduce rapidly and to come off opiates altogether, rather than offering long term or indefinite maintenance on prescribed methadone, which was often their previous approach.

Methadone Man and Buprenorphine Babe target Russia

This latest video released by the Open Society Institute (OSI) addresses the fact that Russia has still not endorsed Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) such as methadone and Buprenorphine as a form of treatment for heroin dependency.

Author of new report on drug misuse in British prison's interviewed

TalkingDrugs conducts an interview with Max Chambers author of Coming Clean, Policy Exchange's new report that criticises the overuse of methadone as a form of drug treatment in the British prison system.

HCLU: Methadone breaking the ice

HCLU’s video advocacy team attended a press conference organized by the Russian delegation in Vienna at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), where the representatives of the world's governments discussed the burning questions of international drug control policies.

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