Finding a balance between treating and perpetuating addiction had been pursued in the United States since the 1800s, when doctors used morphine to wean patients from laudanum, then later used heroin to get patients off morphine. Soldier’s disease had sparked a period of stern prohibition in the Harrison Act and, eventually, the War on Drugs. “Our wacky culture can’t seem to do anything in a nuanced way,” explained Dr. Marc Fishman, a Johns Hopkins researcher and MAT provider.
