Does Access to Methadone Maintenance Treatment Reduce Opiate Related Deaths?

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the number of opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. has nearly quadrupled since 1999, and in 2015 more Americans died of opioid overdose than in any other year on record.... [ view full abstract ]

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the number of opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. has nearly quadrupled since 1999, and in 2015 more Americans died of opioid overdose than in any other year on record. Several randomized controlled trials have documented the effectiveness of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in reducing mortalities among individuals suffering form opiate addiction. Nevertheless, MMT is politically controversial, and access to such treatment remains restrictive. This thesis seeks to investigate how access to MMT affects opiate related mortalities in wake of the current opiate epidemic.