An editorial from The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Starting today, West Virginia has a new tool in the box for fighting opioid drug addiction.
Legislation that was passed in last winter’s session allows the Department of Health and Human Resources, Adult Drug Courts and Division of Corrections the ability to use a FDA-approved, non-addicting drug to help keep addicts from relapsing.
The drug, Vivitrol, is reportedly long-lasting and is used in conjunction with psychosocial support.
We have long advocated the use of alternative treatment over putting drug-abusing offenders in jail or on probation without the backup needed to help them beat their addictions.
Today’s new treatment appears to be what the doctor ordered.
The first thing that must happen though — and perhaps may be the hardest to achieve — is that the patient must not have had an opiate-based drug for several days before beginning the treatment.
What Vivitrol (also known as naltrexone) works because it blocks opioid receptors in the brain that allow the euphoric feelings of the opioid…