Drug Addiction Has Become A Cottage Industry

For some doctors and social in-activists and politicians! So What's New?

Doctors exploit addicts to milk OHIP: Task force TheStar.com - Ontario - Doctors exploit addicts to milk OHIP: Task force

Excessive urine tests to inflate billings `alarming,' as is rampant prescribing of narcotic painkillers

July 26, 2007

Kevin Donovan
staff reporter

Ontario needs to crack down on doctors who have turned drug addiction therapy into a money-making venture, a provincial report obtained by the Star says.

Among the findings: Some doctors are ordering far too many expensive drug tests, while in other cases narcotic painkillers are being over-prescribed, leading to addiction.

The report of the Methadone Task Force, created in response to a Star investigation, will be officially released today.

Methadone is a synthetic narcotic used daily by about 16,000 Ontario drug addicts to reduce cravings for heroin and other narcotics.

The task force report says methadone is a valuable tool to cure addictions but found problems with how the provincial methadone program is being administered and policed.