WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-A Prescribed Addiction
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Methadone has only been an option in Vermont for the last decade. Before that, addicts would have to travel out-of-state for treatment.
Vermont's first clinic was built in Burlington in 2002. Since then, four others have gone up in St. Johnsbury, Newport, Berlin and Brattleboro.
The synthetic opiate treats withdrawal symptoms of people hooked on heroin and prescription pain killers. Most patients are only given their daily methadone doses on site because the drug has a high value on the street. Treatment professionals say when addicts are on a methadone maintenance program, the crime associated with their expensive addiction goes down.
"When individuals are in treatment, even if the treatment is not perfect, their criminal behavior drops by well over 90, 95 percent," said Bob Bick with the Howard Center.
"We have over 300 patients and I would say 85-percent of them do wonderfully. They come off all drugs," said Robin Sherman, a nurse practitioner,
The problem is, treatment is not always available. The state's largest methadone clinic in Burlington has 245 people on its waiting list. They will not get treatment for six months to a year.
Tuesday night WCAX begins a special report, "A Prescribed Addiction." We'll look at opiate addiction in Vermont and the toll it's taking on our communities.
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