Narcotic treatment programs.

Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to administer prevention, treatment, and recovery services for alcohol and drug abuse. Existing law requires the department to license the establishment of narcotic treatment programs in this state to use narcotic replacement therapy in the treatment of addicted persons whose addiction was acquired or supported by the use of a narcotic drug or drugs, not in compliance with a physician and surgeon's legal prescription. Existing law authorizes a program to admit a patient to narcotic maintenance or narcotic detoxification treatment 7 days after completion of a prior withdrawal treatment episode. This bill, instead, would authorize a program to admit a patient to narcotic maintenance or narcotic detoxification treatment at the discretion of the medical director and would require the program to assign a unique identifier to, and maintain an individual record of, each patient of the program. Existing law specifies the intent of the Legislature that self-administered dosage of the narcotic replacement only be provided when the patient is clearly adhering to the requirements of the program and where daily attendance at a clinic would be incompatible with gainful employment, education, and responsible homemaking. This bill, in addition, would authorize take-home doses to be provided to patients who are clearly adhering to the requirements of the program if daily attendance at a clinic would be incompatible with retirement or medical disability or if the program is closed on Sundays or holidays and providing a take-home dose is not contrary to federal laws and regulations. The bill would require a narcotic treatment program medical director to determine whether or not to dilute take-home doses. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.