Papers in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association favour the supervised consumption of methadone at community pharmacies as part of the treatment of opiate addiction.
Three papers in the March 8 issue recognise that supervised consumption reduces methadone deaths, reduces leakage of methadone to the illicit market and reduces crime. The papers make particular mention of the supervised administration scheme operated through Scottish pharmacies in Glasgow.
One of the papers comments: "The geographic distribution of methadone deaths in Scotland suggests that supervised consumption of methadone can restrict leakage into the streets. Glasgow, with a much larger addict population, had a comparatively lower number of methadone-related deaths than Edinburgh where methadone consumption was not as extensively supervised".
Currently, 161 Glasgow pharmacies are involved with supervising the daily consumption of methadone by over 3,000 patients. They work according to guidelines published by the Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS trust, which have recently been revised and published in their third edition.
Two features of the revised edition are the inclusion of guides to pharmaceutical care plans for drug misusers in hospital and on self audit for participating pharmacists.
A letter published in the Mail on Sunday for April 23 opposed supervised methadone administration. The writer, a member of the Drugs Anonymous Movement, said that it was degrading and a breach of confidentiality for addicts who were trying to break their habit to have to take their medication in public view. She urged people to complain to their health authorities.