Consumer Law
An Upstate New York Jail Is Being Sued For Banning Opioid Addiction Treatment
A northern New York county is being accused in federal court of needlessly forcing people at its jail into harmful withdrawals by banning a medical treatment for opioid addiction.
The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday against Jefferson County. The advocacy group said operators of the county jail largely ban methadone and buprenorphine, despite clear evidence that the medicines can effectively treat what specialists call opioid use disorder.
“Jefferson County’s blanket ban on the treatment our clients need to survive is cruel, discriminatory, and prioritizes stigma over science,” NYCLU attorney Antony Gemmell said in a prepared statement. “The ban must be lifted now.”
