Fewer than half of U.S. jails offer any form of medication for opioid use disorder, according to new findings from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). Researchers surveyed more than 1,000 jails and found less than 44% of them offered medicines like buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone, which have been shown to reduce opioid use, prevent overdose deaths and support long-term recovery.
“Offering substance use disorder treatment in justice settings helps to break the debilitating — and often fatal — cycle of addiction and incarceration,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
In fact, research shows that overdose is the leading cause of death among people who recently got out of jail or prison. A recent county-level study found that more than 20% of people who died of an overdose had been in jail.
“Though someone may be in jail for only a short time, connecting them to addiction treatment while they are there is critical to reduce risk of relapse and overdose, and to help them achieve long-term recovery,” said Volkow.
