California is moving forward with a new approach to stimulant addiction: paying people with gift cards as a reward for staying sober. It’s called “contingency management.”
The model doles out financial incentives to users each time their drug tests are negative for stimulants. Unlike other opioid addictions, there are no medications such as methadone for stimulant use disorder.
California was the first state in the nation to win approval for a contingency management solution under Medicaid. Pilot programs are launching in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.
If the trial is successful, the hope is the state will allow expansion to serve everyone on Medi-Cal.
