In New York State, opioid settlement funds are being used for anti-stigma campaigns. Opioid treatment programs (OTPs), because they treat patients with methadone, are the most stigmatized among substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs. Yet, OTPs have been left out of the state’s anti-stigma funding.
In July 2025, Allegra Schorr, president of the Coalition of Medication Assisted Treatment Providers and Advocates (COMPA), noted that stigma, particularly in the form of NIMBY (not in my back yard), has prevented OTPs from opening in New York, and in some cases threatened to shut down programs altogether.
“Stigma against SUD treatment is persistent and harmful, and unfortunately, very much on the rise against existing providers,” said Schorr. “Communities oppose methadone pro- grams, exacerbating the challenges of establishing new OTPs. Alarmingly, some communities are now seeking to shut down well-established, reputable addiction treatment programs—blaming societal issues on OTPs without justification.”
Added Schorr: “The opioid overdose crisis remains with the deaths of 6,330 New Yorkers dying in 2023, and deaths due to overdose increasing five times for Black New Yorkers and quadrupling for Latino New Yorkers.”
For more information on this story, go to https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.34614