In 1995, France allowed any doctor to prescribe a treatment for opioid addiction called buprenorphine that reduces cravings for opioids without becoming addictive itself. This change in policy, combined with a needle-exchange program, helped France reduce overdose deaths by 79 percent in just four years. Unfortunately, in the US, health policies make prescribing buprenorphine a thorny process that requires mandatory course as well as paying fees. If the US took note of France’s change of policy, the country could possibly tackle its ongoing opioid epidemic.
If the French could slash heroin overdoses in 4 years, so could the US
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