How the U.S. is sabotaging its best tools to prevent deaths in the opioid epidemic
A STAT investigation shows that virtually every sector of society obstructs the use of methadone and buprenorphine to treat opioid addiction.
Read The StoryThe War on Recovery
STAT is examining how the U.S. denies lifesaving medications — methadone and buprenorphine — to people with opioid addiction. Barely one-fifth of the roughly 2.5 million Americans with opioid use disorder receive treatment, and tens of thousands of lives have been lost.
People who obtain these medications use illicit drugs at far lower rates and are at far lower risk of overdose or death. Yet nearly every layer of American society — including government, the entertainment industry, the health care system, and even addiction recovery groups like Narcotics Anonymous — has worked either to restrict access to the medications or to sideline them.
Rigid rules at methadone clinics are jeopardizing patients’ path to recovery from opioid addiction
STAT Plus: New methadone rules are about to take effect. Here are 6 ways treatment could shift
STAT Plus: Q&A: Nora Volkow on how to get ‘at least 50% less people dying’ from opioid overdose
