Stephen Chapman

In methadone treatment programs, heroin addicts are given the opiate drug methadone to stave off withdrawal symptoms and reduce the cravings for heroin. Nationally syndicated columnist Stephen Chapman maintains in the following viewpoint that methadone is the most effective way to treat heroin addicts. He asserts that methadone treatment programs reduce drug use and drug-related problems such as crime and the spread of disease through shared needles.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Chapman, what are some of the positive results of methadone treatment?
2. What barriers to methadone treatment do addicts currently face, in the author’s view?
3. As cited by Chapman, what support for methadone is offered by drug czar Barry McCaffrey"

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