New Methadone Policy for Jails

From the Bangor Daily News:

MACHIAS — They arrive at the Washington County Jail dependent on methadone.

In the past, inmates housed at the jail had to be detoxed while doing their time.

. . .

Now, the Sheriff’s Department has come up with a proposed policy based on one out of the Penobscot County Jail.

If approved, the new policy would allow inmates to continue with their methadone treatment for at least 14 days and the cost would be borne either by the inmate or by MaineCare.

Methadone is a synthetic opiate that blocks the effects of heroin and other opiates. A major opiate problem Down East is the prescription drug OxyContin, which is diverted for sale on the street.

The policy has to be approved by the county jail’s health officer, Dr. Mark Kaplan of East Machias.

. . .

After 14 days, it’s up to the medical staff whether the inmate is to be kept on methadone or detoxed, Smith said.

Detox does not mean "cold turkey," Smith said. Rather it’s replacing methadone with other drugs to ease their methadone dependency.

"I won’t be able to talk about it exactly, but I know he goes through a procedure and he prescribes three or four medications that they are on. It’s very expensive for us," Smith said.

A Clonidine detox patch, according to county records, costs more than $25 per patch.

In April, 20 patches cost the county $527.30. "So if they can stay on methadone while they are here, that is just less of an expense that the county taxpayer has to absorb," Smith said.

Jail Administrator Capt. Bob Gross said inmates come with a variety of health issues that the county has to take care of.

According to county invoices, which did not show the names of the inmates, the drugs prescribed cover everything from cholesterol medication and sleeping pills to anti-depressant and antipsychotic drugs such as haloperidol, risperidone, paroxetine and quetiapine fumarate. There were also medications such as propoxyphene for pain, as well as heart medication.

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