Buprenorphine is allowed in all US states and the FDA recently said even family doctors can initiate therapy.
And British Colombia is have record numbers of fatal overdoses, so while a tool, its not a solution to the crisis.
And British Colombia is have record numbers of fatal overdoses, so while a tool, its not a solution to the crisis.
I should also note that being in favour of harm reduction doesn’t mean tolerating Portland style appeasement of crime and public …craziness. The baby is often thrown out with the bath water with this stuff and it doesn’t have to be that way. But that overreaction goes both ways in terms of dealing with the drug problem.
Additionally, the actual treatment provided varies considerably between doctors. Do they give the patient enough to avoid severe withdrawal? Do they allow the patient to stay on buprenorphine long term if needed? How do they handle relapses? What sort of counseling or therapy do they provide (if any)? Do they take insurance?
https://www.statnews.com/2022/03/07/doctors-companies-push-t...
I wont argue there are some barrier, but it’s not hard to get anywhere in the US.
Then because you're not just putting a bandaid on it you have the funds available to actually get people off the street (and not just into shitty drug hotels) which is one of the biggest obstacles to getting sober.
The sad fact is that most people who would benefit from it simply do not have access to it.