USA. Addiction Treatment Gap Is Driving A Black Market For Suboxone
USA. Addiction Treatment Gap Is Driving A Black Market For Suboxone
(...) addiction treatment professionals argue the problem of buprenorphine diversion is often misunderstood. A black market exists in part, they point out, because addiction treatment can be hard to find. President Trump is expected to sign a bill that would increase access to the medication, but it's unclear how quickly that access will grow.
In the meantime, many people suffering from addiction will turn to the black market to try to treat addiction on their own. (...)
Dr. Kelly Clark, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, which supports the measure that would increase access to buprenorphine, believes making the drug more widely available outweighs the risk. For one thing, buprenorphine is not as dangerous as other opioids. "The risks of overdose with buprenorphine are minimal," she says. (NPR – National Public Radio, USA, 05.10.2018)