ACMD Rejects Time-Limited Treatment

The UK-based Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has concluded in its report on OST (Opiate SubstitutionTherapy) that “the evidence does not support the case for imposing a blanket time limit on OST treatment for heroin users... As evidence strongly suggests that time limiting OST would result in the majority relapsing into heroin use and may have significant unintended consequences including increasing: drug-driven crime (and national crime statistics); heroin overdose death rates; and, the spread of blood- borne viruses including hepatitis and HIV.

Those implementing this approach could also face medico- legal challenges”.The report nonetheless supported the contention that medical interventions on their own do not deliver the best outcomes . The report is broadly welcomed by those who fear the imposition of time-limited requirements into the regimes of methadone maintenance treatment agencies. REPORT