The Expansion of Methadone Prescribing in Ontario, 1996–1998

Abstract

Various Ontario agencies have co-operated to increase the availability of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) across Ontario. It is expected that increased availability of MMT will lead to a reduction in some of the harms of opioid use, such as HIV infection acquired through needle use. This initiative is consistent with Canada's Drug Strategy and with MMT policy changes at the federal level and is responsive to concerns of methadone patient advocates and treatment providers. When the Methadone Program at The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario was established in mid-1996, there were 975 patients in MMT across Ontario. At the end of 1998 - two and a half years later - there were over 4000. This expansion is attributed to policy changes at the provincial level which were facilitated by the development of MMT guidelines compatible with both harm reduction-based and abstinence-based treatment approaches and the development of a MMT training program and supporting reference materials.

Key Words:

• Opioid dependence
• methadone
• HIV
• injection drug use
• treatment guidelines
• public health
• heroin dependence