In 2021, the opioid-involved overdose crisis killed over 100,000 people in the US. Methadone is the most successful treatment for opioid addiction and is proven to cut the overdose death rate by half or more. So why is it easier to get fentanyl than methadone?

 

Liquid Handcuffs: A Documentary to Free Methadone, shines a spotlight on the closed world of methadone clinics. An international cast of methadone users, activists, and healthcare providers explain the benefits and the barriers to getting the medication. And drug policy expert Deborah Small provides commentary on the politics of methadone. 

​

Liquid Handcuffs: A Documentary to Free Methadone explores the intersection of methadone with race, class, social control, and stigma. This is the first feature-length documentary that uses the lens of harm reduction to examine the methadone clinic system.