By Jason Mullins
Recent headlines concerning a federal raid at an area doctor’s office has prompted one area doctor and his patients to speak out in support of a controversial treatment option for people suffering from addiction to prescription pain medication.
Last week, agents from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services entered a doctor’s office in Gate City, Va., that prescribes Suboxone to treat patients who are addicted to opioid-based drugs, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. The raid was part of a year-long investigation into the clinic.
Dr. Robert Reeves is a Johnson City physician who left his family practice in order to treat the growing number of persons in the area who are addicted to opiod-based drugs, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine. He said these types of events have painted a negative portrait of Suboxone, causing many people to have a biased opinion of addiction treatment. Reeves added Suboxone has provided a starting point to finding hope for thousands of people caught in the trap of narcotic addiction.
