Methadone Maintenance: A Review and Critique

The problem of heroin addiction and rehabilitation has caused considerable alarm in the past few years. The number of heroin addicts alone in the United States has been estimated at 300,000 (“The Heroin Plague: What Can Be Done”, 1971, p. 27). Methadone maintenance is one approach to this problem of treating the addict so that he can become a productive member of society. It is being used in such cities as New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Chicago, Mew Orleans, Portland, San Francisco, and Racine. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of methadone maintenance by examining topics such as the program's background, the rationale behind the program, legal aspects of methadone maintenance, results, advantages, disadvantages, and criticisms of the program.