The problem of opioid addiction is growing in Ontario, primarily associated with the use of pharmaceutical products rather than heroin. For many Ontarians struggling with opioid dependence, methadone maintenance is an effective treatment that could save their lives. However, methadone has a unique pharmacological profile that requires specialized knowledge and procedures to ensure its safe use. Pharmacists are at the front-line of ensuring clients’ safe and effective use of methadone. This guide complements CAMH’s comprehensive best-practice manual for pharmacists, Methadone Maintenance: A Pharmacist’s Guide to Treatment, a required resource for all pharmacies dispensing methadone in Ontario. This new book addresses issues beyond best practice by the individual pharmacist, making a series of recommendations related to interprofessional collaboration, the pharmacy environment, education programs, accessibility of services and research needs.

As the most accessible member of the treatment team, pharmacists are uniquely positioned to make a difference in the care of MMT clients. This book envisions ways in which professional organizations, educators, policy makers, and researchers, among others, may support individual pharmacists working in a variety of practice settings in enhancing the care they provide through MMT pharmacy services.

Pearl Isaac, BScPhm, RPh, graduated from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Pharmacy and is a pharmacist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), with a specialty in addiction. She works in the area of substance abuse treatment, with a special interest in opioid maintenance treatment. Pearl is a consultant with the Addiction Clinical Consultation Service at CAMH, which provides consultations to physicians, pharmacists, therapists and other health care providers in Ontario. She teaches in the area of substance abuse at the Faculty of Pharmacy at U of T and is involved in other educational initiatives for health care providers. In addition to this book, Pearl has published articles on substance use in pharmacy journals.

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Beth Sproule, PharmD, is an advanced practice pharmacist / clinician scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, and assistant professor in Pharmacy and Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Wayne State University, Detroit, USA and her BScPhm degree from the University of Toronto. Her research program focuses on mental health medications, pharmacy practice and prescription drug abuse.

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