Narcotics research, rehabilitation, and treatment. Hearings, Ninety ...

108Dr. Gearing. Yes, sir; I would not consider the position paper astudy. That was a lawyer's confrontation for which I wrote a positionpaper.Mr. Perito. Mr. Chairman, I would at this point ask that these twopapers be incorporated in the record.Chairman Pepper. Without objection, they will be admitted for therecord.(The documents referred to above appear at the end of Dr. Gearing'stestimony.)Chairman Pepper. Just one question before we proceed.Is it your conclusion, therefore. Dr. Gearing, from the studies thatyou have made over a period of time that methadone is the best treatmentnow known and now available for heroin addiction?Dr. Geartxg. I wouldn't make quite that strong a statement, ISIr.Pepper. I would say that for those patients who volunteered for themethadone maintenance treatment program who have a history oflong-term heroin addiction, this is the best treatment we have at themoment ;yes.Chairman Pepper. And you did find a striking diminution in theamount of crime committed by the people who took methadone whopreviously had a heroin addiction ?Dr. Gearing. Yes, sir. These were patients who by definition, to getinto the program, have had to be known as "criminal addicts." Theyhad to have had previous infractions of the law.Chairman Pepper. Have you had long enough experience with thesepeople who took methadone to determine Avhether it became addictivewith them.Dr. Gearing. I am not sure the patients who have been on the programa long time consider themselves addicted. They consider themselvesdependent, and happily dependent because it has freed themfrom the problems they had when they were chasing heroin.Chairman Pepper. Did you find the people who took methadone overa period of time have suffered any apparent trouble or physical injury ?Dr. Gearing. As far as we can determine, from serial medicationexaminations, and the patients in the program 5 years or longer havebeen monitored carefully, there seems to be no physical or physiologicalproblems.Chairman Pepper. Yesterday, we had some distinguished witnesseshere who said that they did not think that private physicians should beauthorized to prescribe methadone.What is your recommendation on that ?Dr. Gearing. If you will look at the recommendations that the advisorycommittee and I put together at the end of that last rei)ort, wemake the same recommendation, that it is not for use of the ])hysicianin his private office, because methadone, in and of itself, is only reallya brid.o-e which allows the patients time to get involved in their ownrehabilitation.The big need, for manv of them, is to gain extra skills, to find a job,and many other social services.Chairman Pepper. Mr. Blommer, do you have any questions?Mr. Blommer. Yes.