Jefferson County jail sued in class action lawsuit claiming denial of treatment for people with opioid addiction

Methadone bottle. Photo: neeel, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

ALBANY, NY (AP) – 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.”

Calls seeking comment were made Wednesday to Jefferson County’s attorney and sheriff.

The NYCLU claims the ban is unconstitutional and discriminatory in a lawsuit identifying two plaintiffs by the initials, MC and TG, representing a class of people incarcerated at the jail.

Judge David Hurd, who is hearing the case, issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday that requires the county to provide methadone treatment to MC, who was just remanded to jail and was facing a possible withdrawal.

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