In Afghanistan, Methadone Improves Health and Reduces Crime

So far this year’s International Harm Reduction Conference in Beirut has been very informative for Methadone Man and me.  We’re especially excited to learn what's going on in terms of harm reduction in our host region, the Middle East and North Africa. Today brought thrilling news from Afghanistan, where, once again, methadone has proven to be effective in improving health and fighting crime.

In Afghanistan, the United Nations estimates that one million people use drugs. The number of people who use heroin alone has risen by 140 percent over the past five years. And the prevalence of HIV among people who inject drugs in the country has doubled since 2008.

Today, however, researchers from the Kabul-based harm reduction NGO, Médecins du Monde, released results from Afghanistan’s first-ever methadone trial that shows drug users who are prescribed opioid substitution treatment, such as methadone or buprenorphine, reported both their general quality of health and their mental well-being had benefited.  Their level of criminal activity also dropped, and most said methadone had helped them reintegrate into society.  Three-quarters of the participants were still enrolled in the program after 12 months.

Afghanistan is just the latest country where methadone—and substitution treatment more generally—has served to help people who use drugs reclaim their health and add stability to their lives. Yet this life-saving treatment is available to less than 10 percent of those who need it.

Join Methadone Man and me in asking governments to follow the example of Afghanistan and expand access to opiate substitution therapies worldwide! You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.