Methadone Program for Inmates

The Tehran Penitentiary, a prison in Hassanabad region south of Tehran, is implementing a pilot program for addiction treatment program for 450 prisoners, which includes injecting methadone for opiate addiction.

As part of the program, the inmates receive methadone in administered doses and are then systematically cut-off from the program.

“The treatment process is being monitored by a medical team comprising a physician, a psychologist, and a paramedic,” Mehr News Agency quoted the prison supervisor, Alireza Valipour saying.

According to Iran’s penitentiary chief, Asqar Jahangir, approximately 224,000 Iranians were in prison during the past Iranian year (ended in March), of which about 65% met the medical criteria for addiction.

Globally, methadone is the treatment of choice for opioid dependence, including heroin, as it prevents withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings and blocks the euphoric effects of illicit opioids. Additionally, methadone therapy has been shown to reduce the risk of criminal activity, relapse, infectious disease transmission (including HIV and hepatitis) and overdose death.