NORWICH— During a recent Chenango County Board of Supervisors meeting, board officials signed an agreement with Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services (CARS) of Ithaca, to provide methadone services to incarcerated individuals.

The agreement is to comply with federal and state regulations from May 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028.

Chenango County Attorney Zachary Wentworth said about three years ago, the NY state legislature passed the law that requires individuals in a correctional facility be given their opioid use disorder drug of choice.

“When an individual comes into the correctional facility, if they are on methadone or are screened and it is deemed appropriate, we are obligated under the law to provide that to them,” Wentworth said.

He said state law requires that if they are prescribed this drug, they must provide it to them and added they are implementing everything in accordance with the law. Methadone is a pain management and opioid addiction treatment drug, often used for fighting addiction.

Smyrna Supervisor Michael Khoury was not in favor of the mandated law and questioned the services, stating methadone is a very controversial approach to use for addiction.

Khoury said sometimes it's just as difficult to get off of methadone as it is heroin and was concerned how the drug ended up in the prison.

Columbus Supervisor Diane P. Scalzo said there are families that may be concerned, and would have hoped those in jail should not have access to drugs for their own sake.

Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting said he has very little control as to what the state mandates.

Officials discussed the service treatments and questioned if there were an alternative drugs to be offered instead of methadone. They shared concern this could complicate the sheriff’s job and believe it is creating a treatment center in the jail.

Cutting agreed and said there is no separation between the jail and it being a treatment center.

He explained they're working with the jail physician, counselors, and the mental health department to manage that population.

“Helpers come down to work with them and we try to provide whatever is necessary to manage what they need,” said Cutting.

Cutting said almost everyone in prison is being treated and most want to be treated which has skyrocketed their medical costs by about 75%.

He said when an inmate requests medication, they must be tested before it can be administered.

“A prisoner may come in and say they are on drugs again and would like to get some help so they reach out to mental health and run tests to see if it's necessary,” Cutting said.

Cutting noted the medical assisted treatment helps bring them down off of drugs and said methadone is not a cure, it's a treatment, but can be used to actively help get off of drugs.