

For a state that hasn't always gotten it right when it comes to handling the disease of addiction, the concept of drug court has always been one of New Jersey's proudest boasts.

Rather than perpetuate the futile warehouse mentality in a war on drugs, a judge now has an effective alternative to incarceration for low-level offenders, and can mandate probation and a recovery program instead.

But that doesn't mean the process or institution itself can't be improved, and it can start by allowing opioid addicts to graduate from drug court if they have proven themselves to be functional while using methadone or Suboxone.

Drug courts have been slow to accept medication assisted treatment (MAT), even if the methadone is administered by a doctor. The judges tend to argue that abstinence is the only legitimate means of completing the drug court program.

Most drug treatment experts would differ, and their legislative allies agreed by drafting a bill that requires drug courts to allow patients to graduate while using methadone or another MAT.

The proposal (S-2381) received unanimous endorsement in the Senate, and the hopefully the Assembly and governor will follow suit because the science is clear: To deny access to MAT leads to more relapses, more criminal activity, more illness, and another laundry list of grim human and economic consequences.

Methadone is a pain-killing opioid, but it doesn't provide the euphoric highs of other drugs, it blocks the cravings that accompany addiction, and one can function well without any of the withdrawal symptoms if it is taken under the care of an expert in anti-addictive maintenance.

Such maintenance can last a lifetime. But as long as it is a safe and effective medication, doesn't cause impairment, and prevents relapses, there is little reason for someone in an MAT regime to remain in drug court permanently.

This is also an opportunity for state officials to proclaim in one voice this immutable truth: Drug addiction is a disease. And to fight a disease, you need medication.

You wouldn't deny a diabetic his Insulin. You wouldn't deny someone with heart disease his Coumadin.

This is no different. The addict needs methadone to survive, and it is his only pathway to a normal life again. Some Drug Court judges disagree - for now - but evidence is overwhelming: The National Association of Drug Court Professionals supports the integration of MAT because it is proven to improve retention in counseling and reduce illicit use, disease, and mortality.

The political tide is also against the old school: The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has announced it will no longer fund drug court that deny the use of MAT.

Methadone is not a vile substance taken by weak people. It is a medication taken by people with the courage to confront a problem and seek liberation from it. They deserve to be treated as such.





Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.