CAADPE Calls on Los Angeles Jails to Reverse Restrictions on Lifesaving Opioid Treatment in Jails

Statewide association of treatment providers urges county to end waitlists and fully restore access to medication-assisted treatment behind bars

The California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives, Inc. (CAADPE) strongly opposes Los Angeles County’s Jails recent decision to scale back access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder in its jails and urge county leaders to immediately reverse course.

According to new reporting from CalMatters, Los Angeles County Jails implemented a policy this fall that restricts how quickly and broadly jail physicians can prescribe buprenorphine, prioritizing people only at intake and placing everyone else on a waitlist. Between September 15 and October 31, the number of people on that waitlist more than doubled—from 363 to 835—with an average wait time of 25 days for treatment....