An International Review of Methadone Provision in Prisons

Abstract

In many developed and an increasing number of developing countries, illicit drug use has created major health, social and legal problems. Production of illicit drugs is expanding globally, consumption is spreading to new populations (Stimson, 1992) and consequences of illicit drug use are becoming more serious. Therefore, measures which offer promise of ameliorating the adverse consequences of illicit drug use and especially those which are under-utilised deserve careful consideration. In this paper, the rationale, current international implementation and evidence of the effectiveness of methadone provision to inmates is reviewed.

Key Words:

• Methadone
• maintenance
• detoxification
• prison
• HIV
• hepatitis
• injecting
• syringe sharing