Part A: Questions and Answers Regarding the History and Evolution of Methadone Treatment of Opioid Addiction in the United States

Question 8: What is the international approach to maintenance treatment for heroin addiction?

Answer:In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) adopted a joint position paper on substitution maintenance therapy for opioid dependence, calling substitution maintenance therapy one of the most effective treatment options (World Health Organization, 2004).

References

World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Joint Position Paper on Substitution Maintenance Therapy in the Management of Opioid Dependence and HIV/AIDS Prevention. Geneva: WHO, 2004. Available online at: www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/treatment/en/index.html. [Accessed March 31, 2006.]

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