“Rogue” Suboxone Clinics Impede Real Recovery in Kentucky

Capitol building of Kentucky
Kentucky capitol building. 
 

In Kentucky, the Attorney General is taking on businesses distributing Suboxone the wrong way and working on legislation that would force them to do it the right way. In an interview with National Public Radio, AG Andy Beshear described how some Suboxone clinics have become the new “pill mills” of this decade. Instead of using Suboxone to help those who are addicted get on the path to recovery, they dole out this addictive drug in hasty, negligent office visits.

These suspect clinics take cash payments when Medicaid should cover the cost and hundreds of patients stream through the clinics in a single day which means that none of these people are really getting the care they need to learn how to stay sober. The use of drugs like methadone and Suboxone are supposed to be carefully controlled to prevent diversion to the illicit market and counseling should “address the addictive behaviors underlying the individual’s polysubstance use.

Suboxone wrapper

In these clinics, there’s certainly no counseling and no proper controls. Beshear calls them “rogue Suboxone clinics.” Some of them even operate out of motel rooms, not proper medical facilities.

Eliminating Rogue Clinics

Beshear commented that he is working on legislation similar to laws passed in West Virginia. Some of the provisions he discussed include:

  • Doctors must be part-owners of these clinics so if they lose their licenses after being found to be negligent, the clinic must be closed.
  • The clinic must not operate as a cash-only business.
  • There must be limits on how many patients can be seen in a day so that each patient can get the attention and care they need.
  • Counseling must be delivered to every patient in the clinic as this is an essential component for recovery.

The Need for Effective Drug Rehab for Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky office buildings.
Louisville office buildings.
 

Suboxone is a relative newcomer to the world of addiction recovery. It is supposed to help those who are addicted stabilize their lives while they get counseling to reshape their way of living. A state like Kentucky which struggles so greatly with the burden of addiction desperately needs honest help to put its citizens back on a sober path. Investors and corporations always need competent employees and at this point, some companies doubt that they can recruit enough drug-free staff if they open a Kentucky branch.

While there are ethical practitioners really trying to help people, there are others greedily cutting corners without any regard for the suffering people they should be helping. This is one of the major pitfalls of the Suboxone system of drug treatment.

At Narconon drug and alcohol rehab centers around the world, the focus has always been on assisting each client to achieve full sobriety. Our aim is 100% drug-free recovery with our 100% drug-free recovery program. To learn more about how Narconon achieves this goal, call 1-800-775-8750 today.

AUTHOR
KH

Karen Hadley

For more than a decade, Karen has been researching and writing about drug trafficking, drug abuse, addiction and recovery. She has also studied and written about policy issues related to drug treatment.