Methadone treatment is simply not available for Americans in all parts of the country in a manner called for by rational drug policy. An accreditation process for methadone clinics would be established and standards for dosages, counseling, and care would be set. By early 1999, the Clinton Administration plans to redraft the federal regulations which govern methadone. Officials indicated that Congressional approval would most likely not be necessary for the changes. Policy makers hope that this strong endorsement of methadone's efficacy by the federal government will spur state interest in this treatment.
States have wide control over the availability of methadone.
McCaffrey also promoted the easing of restrictions on methadone use and improving the quality of methadone clinics. Such users tend to avoid treatment due to the stigma associated with lining up daily for treatment at a clinic. Jerome Jaffe, M.D., former drug policy director in the Nixon Administration, who pushed methadone treatment, warned that setting tougher accreditation standards without providing sufficient funding could put some struggling programs in poorer communities out of business. Many of these proposals have been advocated for many years. A drug policy advisory committee to Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke made many of these recommendations in 1993.