Drug addiction can be treated as a medical problem

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Addiction can now be viewed as a treatable disease with the introduction of medicine to replace “hard” drugs such as heroin.
Health Ministry deputy director-general Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat said this would result in more drug users coming forward to get help in their fight against addiction.
He added that discrimination against drug users would lessen if the addiction was treated as a medical problem.
The ministry, he said, also provided treatment at its hospitals such as counselling those addicted to drugs, including users of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS).
“The ministry is encouraged by the results of the methadone maintenance therapy programme,” said Dr Ramlee who opened the First International Conference on Addiction Medicine yesterday.
The conference was organised by the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations of Malaysia.
The ministry's harm reduction method comprises methadone maintenance therapy and the needle syringe exchange programme. It focuses on preventing or reducing actual harm associated with risk behaviour. Some drug users will not stop using drugs despite the risk of HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases.
In Phase II of the methadone maintenance therapy programme, the ministry has 58 participating centres – comprising 25 hospitals, 26 health clinics and seven private practitioners.