Methadone Bill Would End California’s Highly Restrictive Ways

Some California leaders think increasing access to methadone, a drug commonly used to treat opioid withdrawals, will help fight the fentanyl crisis. Currently one of the most restrictive states, California could become a leader in methadone access under legislation proposed by a San Francisco Democrat. “With thousands of Californians losing their lives annually, it is utterly maddening that we would withhold one of the most powerful addiction treatments from those who desperately need it,” Assemblyman Matt Haney, author of the bill, said in a press release last week. Assembly Bill 2115, introduced in February, would allow doctors to prescribe up to 72 hours’ worth of take-home doses of the “highly effective” drug and would increase the amount a patient can take home from a clinic, avoiding the need to line up daily for dosing, according to an April 4 press release....