Methadone maintenance has repeatedly been shown as the most effective available
treatment for a large fraction of heroin addicts
3
. Given that fewer than half of entrants stay in the
program for as much as one year and that most continue to use illegal drugs, the disappointing
implication of that statement is that the United States has a weak armamentarium for dealing with
the problem of heroin addiction
4
. Given that heroin addiction appears to be very long lasting,
with so many addicts from the 1970s still frequently dependent on the drug and involved in high
risk health and crime behaviors
5
, it is hardly surprising that there is a continuing interest in
finding alternatives that would bring some surcease to both the user and society.