evaluate ethical + social imps of agonist + antag (5)

• Ethical + social implications of agonist and antagonist substitution

  • P: Agonist and antagonist substitution treatments for addiction, such as naltrexone and methadone, raise important ethical and social implications.

  • E: One ethical concern is the potential for serious side effects and overdose, particularly if methadone is combined with other substances like alcohol, which in 2013 led to 429 UK deaths (ONS). Additionally, critics argue that methadone may simply replace one addiction with another, especially when individuals remain on it long-term without progressing to abstinence.

  • E: Socially, the financial burden of widespread methadone use has been criticised; Gyngell (2011) labelled it an “expensive failure,” though DrugScope countered this, citing the National Audit Office‘s view that that drug treatment offers value for money by helping users function in society. Furthermore, the National Treatment Agency (2009)…
• Ethical + social implications of agonist and antagonist substitution (2)

  • E: … found methadone significantly reduces criminality among heroin users, although some still argue treatment centres could increase antisocial behaviour - an idea not supported by Boyd et al’s (2012) US research.

  • L: These points highlight a complex ethical-social balance between harm reduction and long-term societal costs.