Question 1: How are methadone programs approved or registered for operation?
Answer:
United States
Methadone maintenance programs must go through an accreditation process in order to operate. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (http://dpt.samhsa.gov/pdf/001218accred.pdf) that address each critical legal, clinical, safety, and program management area related to the treatment of patients using methadone maintenance therapy.
All accredited methadone programs operate under the authority of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations that govern the dispensing of controlled substances. The DEA regulations (www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/manuals/narcotic/narcotic.pdf) stipulate requirements for the type of registration required, qualifications for physicians who dispense methadone, and rules for physician record-keeping.
Canada
In Canada, treatment practitioners and the hospitals providing methadone treatment must be registered to dispense methadone and are exempt from the control regulations set forth in the Controlled Drug and Substances Act (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C%2D38.8/page-19.html).
Australia
In Australia, methadone is a registered Schedule 8 medication that is approved to treat opioid dependence and withdrawal. Each jurisdiction within the country must establish its own system to authorize medical practitioners to prescribe methadone, and prescribers must obtain authority for each patient. (Clinical guidelines and procedures for the use of methadone in the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence (http://health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/drugtreat-pubs-meth-toc).
New Zealand
The Minister of Health has designated the Director of Mental Health as the authority to determine what organization can be specified as a methadone treatment service (http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/practice-guidelines-opioid-substitution-treatment-new-zealand-2008). In addition, New Zealand will only approve practitioners who agree to establish and maintain a direct relationship with the local treatment services provider. Local programs are required to provide a letter of support for the practitioner to dispense methadone and to work collaboratively as a team (http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/practice-guidelines-opioid-substitution-treatment-new-zealand-2008).
Important Dates
NIDA International Forum
June 14–17, 2013
Online Registration Deadline:
May 6, 2013
FELLOWSHIPS
IAS/NIDA Fellowships
Application Deadline:
February 10, 2013
NIDA International Program Fellowships
Application Deadline:
April 1, 2013
Global Health Program for Fellows and Scholars
Application Deadlines: Vary
GRANTS
Brain Disorders in the Developing World: Research Across the Lifespan
(Non-AIDS)
R01 PAR-11-030and R21 PAR-11-031
Application deadline:
February 14, 2013
MEETINGS
American Association for the Advancement of Science
February 14–18, 2013
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
International Drug Abuse Research Society (IDARS)
April 15–19, 2013
Mexico City, Mexico
2013 International Conference on Global Health: Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse and HIV
April 17–19, 2013
Taipei, Taiwan
Yih-Ing Hser, Ph.D.