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New Mexico County Ending Prison Methadone Treatment

New Mexico's largest county jail has announced that it will no longer provide methadone treatment to inmates.

Metropolitan Detention Center officials said Tuesday that all inmates who are currently incarcerated and receiving methadone will undergo a "discontinuation process" during the next several weeks.

Official say the move was made out of health concern for inmates.

The methadone program was initiated at the MDC by the New Mexico Department of Health in 2006.

Officials say pregnant women will continue to receive methadone through their pregnancies.

Methadone is a synthetic opioid that is used as part of a drug addiction detoxification and maintenance program.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.