Past, Present, and Possible Futures of the Methadone Treatment System | The Patient-Led Methadone Movement: How a Group of Drug Users and Patients Changed Methadone Forever

NASTAD, in partnership with the National Coalition to Liberate Methadone (NCLM) held the “The Patient-Led Methadone Movement: How a Group of Drug Users and Patients Changed Methadone Forever” webinar on November 12. Until now, next to nothing has changed about methadone access for the entirety of its existence. In the last year alone, more changes have been made to the regulations governing this treatment than in the over sixty years it has been offered. These changes come amid the worst rates of overdose the United States has ever seen and follow on the heels of a pandemic that had a devastating impact on people who use drugs.

This webinar tells the story of how a small group of drug users not only survived these conditions but found a way to unite in the fight to change the face of methadone administration throughout the country. This webinar reviews the origins of this nationwide coalition, comprised of a group of noncompliant methadone patients who refused to stop fighting for the right to better treatment, outlines key timelines and advocacy efforts, and highlights the courageous work that sparked a movement to reform methadone toward a more patient-centered, humanistic approach. 

All recordings and registration links for this webinar series can be found on NASTAD’s "Past, Present, and Possible Futures of the Methadone Treatment System: A Webinar Series" resource page.

Please contact DrugUserHealthTA@nastad.org for further questions.