The expansion of methadone prescribing in Ontario, 1996-1998

Various Ontario agencies have co-operated to increase the availability of m ethadone maintenance treatment (MMT) across Ontario. It is expected that in creased availability of MMT will lead to a reduction in some of the harms o f opioid use, such as HIV infection acquired through needle use. This initi ative is consistent with Canada's Drug Strategy and with MMT policy changes at the federal level and is responsive to concerns of methadone patient ad vocates and treatment providers. When the Methadone Program at The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario was established in mid-1996, there we re 975 patients in MMT across Ontario. At the end of 1998 - two and a half years later - there were over 4000. This expansion is attributed to policy changes at the provincial level which were facilitated by the development o f MMT guidelines compatible with both harm reduction-based and abstinence-b ased treatment approaches and the development of a MMT training program and supporting reference materials.