After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Richard Lane died in 1
994. He had been a long-term heroin addict and spent 12 years in priso
ns. After commencing treatment with methadone, he began to work with o
ther addicts and helped to start Man Alive, the first methadone progra
m in Baltimore. He later became Executive Director of Man Alive and a
national leader in the effort to improve and expand methadone maintena
nce treatment. Among the innovations he promoted within the methadone
program were onsite alcoholism treatment, protocols for poly-drug abus
e, services for patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, imp
roved pain management for methadone patients, and fewer restrictions f
or socially rehabilitated patients on methadone. He fought tirelessly
for acceptance of methadone maintenance treatment by those in medicine
, law enforcement, and politics. His accomplishments can inspire all i
n the addiction field to continue their efforts to improve the care of
the addict.