Senator McCain Introduces Bill to End Maintenance

Has New York’s Mayor Giuliani
spread his misinformed animosity for methadone to Arizona? Former POW,
current U.S. Senator, and probable presidential candidate John McCain (Republican,
Arizona) introduced a bill during the 1998-99 session which would, if it had been made law, kill medicaid
funding for any MMT that maintained patients for longer than 6 months. NAMA thinks that patients should know about Presidential candidates whose ideas jeopardize their lives.
Read it and weep…

On February 11, 1999 Senator John McCain
(R AZ) introduced Senate Bill 423

the “Addiction Free Treatment Act of
1999”.

The intent of S423 is to admonish the
administrations announcement by

McCaffery in late September to expand
methadone treatment and to allow

physicians to prescribe methadone from
their office.  It is politically

motivated, however you will see by its
tenor that the Resolution is

primarily an insult to methadone patients
themselves.

To prohibit certain Federal payments
for certain methadone maintenance

programs, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United

States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Addiction
Free Treatment Act of 1999”.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Heroin use in the United States
continues to increase.

(2) Drug use among teenagers in the
United States is increasing and the

number of teenagers that are using heroin
for the first time is higher than

at any previous time in history.

(3) Between 1992 and 1996 heroin use
among college-age students increased

an estimated 10 percent.

(4) There are an estimated 810,000 chronic
heroin users in the United

States, with an estimated 115,000 heroin
addicts in the United States

currently participating in methadone
programs.

(5) Methadone is a synthetic opiate
and the use of methadone in the

treatment of heroin addiction results
in the transfer of addiction from 1

narcotic to another.

(6) Methadone addicts attempting detoxification
experience the same

difficult withdrawal process as would
be experienced with heroin

detoxification.

(7) The Federal Government should adopt
a zero-tolerance,

non-pharmacological policy that has
as its defined objective Independence

from drug addiction.

(8) The approach of the Federal Government
should be to address a range of

human needs and conditions that contribute
to recidivism among recovering

heroin addicts and that should be designed
to provide opportunities for

former heroin addicts to become drug-free,
self-sufficient, productive

members of  society.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF MEDICAID
FUNDS FOR CERTAIN

 METHADONE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS.

Section 1903(i) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1396b(i)) is

amended–

(1)  in paragraph (18), by striking
the period and inserting “; or”; and

(2)  by adding at the end the following:

“(19) with respect to any amount expended
for any drug treatment or

rehabilitation program that utilizes
methadone or Levo-Alpha

Acetyl-Methadol unless the program–

“(A)  has as its primary objective
the elimination of drug addiction,

including addiction to methadone or
Levo-Alpha Acetyl-Methadol;

“(B)  has a specifically defined
timetable (not to exceed 6 months from the

date of an individual’s enrollment as
a patient in the program) for

achieving complete termination of methadone
or Levo-Alpha Acetyl-Methadol

treatment;

 “(C)  conducts random and
frequent comprehensive drug testing for all

narcotics;

 “(D)  provides documentation
of the results of such testing;

 “(E)  requires that patients
who are participating in the program be

drug-free for the duration of their
methadone or Levo-Alpha Acetyl-Methadol

treatment; and

  “(F)  terminates the methadone
or Levo-Alpha Acetyl-Methadol treatment of

any patient who tests positive for any
other illegal narcotic during the

duration of their methadone or Levo-Alpha
Acetyl-Methadol treatment.”.

SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON THE USE OF CERTAIN
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

 ACT FUNDS FOR CERTAIN METHADONE
MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS.

Section 501 of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa) is amended

by adding at the end the following:

“(n) LIMITATION.–Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, amounts

appropriated under this title or title
XIX and administered by the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration may not be

expended for any drug treatment or rehabilitation
program that utilizes

methadone or Levo-Alpha Acetyl-Methadol
unless the program–

“(1)  has as its primary objective
the elimination of drug addiction,

including addiction to methadone or
Levo-Alpha Acetyl-Methadol;

“(2)  has a specifically defined
timetable (not to exceed 6 months from the

date of an individual’s enrollment as
a patient in the program) for

achieving complete termination of methadone
or Levo-Alpha Acetyl-Methadol

treatment;

“(3)  conducts random and frequent
comprehensive drug testing for all

narcotics;

“(4)  provides documentation of
the results of such testing;

“(5)  requires that patients who
are participating in the program be

drug-free for the duration of their
methadone or Levo-Alpha Acetyl-Methadol

treatment; and

“(6)  terminates the methadone
or Levo-Alpha Acetyl-Methadol treatment of

any patient who tests positive for any
other illegal narcotic during the

duration of their methadone or Levo-Alpha
Acetyl-Methadol treatment.”.

SEC. 5. STUDY OF TREATMENT PROGRAMS.

Not later than 3 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, the

Director of the National Institute of
Drug Abuse shall have conducted and

completed a study concerning–

(1)  the methods and effectiveness
of nonpharmacological heroin

rehabilitation programs; and

(2)  the methods and effectiveness
of methadone-to-abstinence programs.

SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS
OF HEROIN REHABILITATION

 PROGRAMS.

(a)  IN GENERAL.–Not later than
January 1, 2000, and each January 1

thereafter, the Secretary of Health
and Human Services acting through the

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
shall prepare and submit to Congress a

report concerning the effectiveness
of heroin rehabilitation programs. Each

such report shall focus on both nonpharmacological
and

methadone-to-abstinence based approaches
to heroin rehabilitation.

(b)  TERMINATION.–The requirement
under subsection (a) shall terminate

after the Secretary of Health and Human
Services submits the 5th annual

report under such subsection.

SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.

The amendments made by this Act apply
to amounts expended on and after the

date that is 6 months after the date
of enactment of this Act.

Last Update: February 6, 2000	News	Home