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Prior to the later 20 century, the general viewpoint of addiction, and
particularly for opioid addiction, was that of a social and moral
problem rather than a medical condition requiring treatment. The
passage of the Harrison Narcotics Act in the early part of the 20th
century also tended to stigmatize those with an opioid addiction
reinforcing the perception that these people were not only as social
deviants, but also criminals whose behavior deserved punishment.

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Toward the latter part of the 20 century however, there was a
growing change in the public’s understanding and perception about
addiction. Facilitating this change public perception was the
introduction of the medical model of addiction as a treatable condition
that helped to bring about an increase in human rights laws. Central to
this was the introduction of methadone maintenance treatment.

The pioneering research by Drs. Dole and Nyswander began to
reliably demonstrate that the medical use of methadone for the
treatment of opiate addiction could significantly bring about
normalization and functionality to those suffering from this condition.

Since then, research has continued to provide compelling evidence that
methadone reduces, and often eliminates, criminal activity and at the
same time, enhances social productivity. Numerous studies also have
found that methadone is extremely effective in reducing/eliminating
intravenous drug use and therefore also reduces the spread of
infectious diseases including those such as HIV and hepatitis B and C.

Despite the volumes of independent research and scientific evidence
from the last forty years about the safety and effectiveness of
methadone for the treatment of opioid addiction, some of the social
stigma and misconceptions about the medication have remained.
Patients in maintenance programs are sometimes still perceived, even
by health care professionals and parts of the recovery community, as
“methadone addicts” who are simply substituting one addictive drug
for another.