Lifelong methadone treatment for addicts

Star: TEMERLOH: Drug addicts who have undergone replacement therapy treatment with methadone can continue doing so for the rest of their lives.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said it was not a compulsory move but said the treatment would help former addicts get back into society.
He said there were 1,200 drug addicts who had undergone the treatment nationwide which had cost RM2.3mil since October last year.
Currently, Dr Abdul Latiff said there were 18 such centres in the country offering the treatment at government hospitals, health clinics and selected private clinics.
“We expect the treatment cost to increase from RM4.3mil this year to RM140mil.
“This amount will cater for some 15,000 drug addicts by 2010,” Dr Abdul Latiff told reporters visiting Temerloh Hospital here yesterday.
Earlier in his speech, Dr Abdul Latiff said National Anti-Drugs Agency statistics showed that there were some 130,000 registered drug addicts in the country.