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

254well-structured methadone maintenance programs because of the improper useof methadone by private physicians.2. Methadone in injectable form (Dolophine) has been available in the legaland illicit markets for a long time. It is inaccurate and misleading to ascribemethadone overdoes in any community to the existence of methadone programsalone since Dolophine has been available for many years and is still availablein the illicit market. Most structured programs do not use Dolophine in pillform.3. Although methadone maintenance is not the treatment of choice for all addicts,it should be available for those for whom it is the treatment of choice.(a) We have changed our admission criteria as follows :(1) Minimum age requirement has been reduced from 20 to 18 years.(2) Number of years of verified addiction has been reduced from 4 to 2years.We made these changes in order to make this treatment available to theyounger patient who is already thoroughly addicted to heroin ; in this v\-ay wecan treat the younger patients who need the program without addicting personsto methadone who are not already clearly addicted to heroin.(b) We find that most, if not all of our patients, have been treatment failuresin other programs; but this is not an absolute prerequisite for admission.4. We agree that every effort must be made to screen out any applicant v.'hois not already addicted to heroin.5. Therapeutic communities and residential treatment mentors are modalitiesof choice for young and nonaddicted users of heroin. Communities containinga significant number of addicted persons should provide programs designed tomeet their specific problem, including heroin addiction.6. Part 5 of the statement reads in part : "We find many provable cases ofinjection directly into the vein of methadone mixed with juice or Tang." I havechecked with our clinical staff to make sure that my impression is correct andit is their opinion that the following is correct : Methadone mixed with juice orTang is nouinjectable for several reasons which I think are too technical to gointo here, but the fact is that the drug in this form is not injectable and anypatient who succeeded in injecting it would become fatally ill.I would emphasize that there is a large group of chronic heroin users for whomall existing treatment programs except methadone maintenance have been afailure.The goal should be to set up structured, controlled programs and not to denythe seriously heroin addicted this proven program which is literally lifesaving.both for the patient and the community.Sincerely yours,HaPwVey Gollance, M.D.Asfnciatc Director,(In charge of narcotic trcatmcitt proyranis).[Exhiliit Xo. 13(c)]FoRTY-NiNTii .Judicial Distuict,Counties of Dimmit, Wekb, Zapata,Laredo, Tex., November 11, 1070.Vincent P. Dole. M.D.,Rockefeller I 'nirer.sity,New York, N.Y.Dear Sir: This is to notify you that a complete check of our district courtrecords reveal tiie following in connection with cases involving burglary andtheft, theft, aggravated assault, forgery, under the infiuence, and other' pettvtheft cases.Our records reflect that since the inception of the methadone maintenance programin Laredo. Webb County. Tex., the reduction in this type of crime hasdropped approximately 05 percent.Very truly yours,Carlos V. P.EXAvinES, Jr.,A.'iS'Stant District Attorney.